100 Days with Mr Arrogant
by Mr. Invincible
Summary: After being dumped by her boyfriend just before their 1 year anniversary, Annabeth Chase meets a college guy named Percy Jackson when she kicks a can that accidentally leaves a scratch on his Maserati. Although she escapes from him, trouble ensues when she drops her wallet and he finds her once again. Will she be able to deal with him, and maybe even eventually find love? AU/AH.
1. Chapter 1

**So, I watched a new Korean movie today. Hopefully, this Korean drama phase will be something I get over soon…But, until then, it gives me PJO plot ideas. **

**Anyway, it was called 100 Days with Mr. Arrogant as the title says. Like my other story based on a Korean movie, My Little Bride, I'm going to adapt this one to fit PJO. Some OoC…And AU. Them being demigods as no effect on the plot.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own PJO nor do I own the plot to the movie.**

_**At School—**_

Annabeth's head was leaning forward slightly, her eyelids drooping at the sound of the droning lecture of her gym teacher. Who lectures in gym class? And when is it ever worth listening to? As far as Annabeth was concerned, being fit was fine, but playing sports and learning every single play in the history of football was not something she wanted to waste her time on.

To top things off, this semester in school was health, also taught by the gym teacher. If Annabeth had to hear one more thing about peer pressure, she swore that she'd throw her health book in the direction of the teacher. As the gym teacher continued his lecture on the 'influence of drugs', Annabeth fell in a deep slumber, her head lying on the book, using it like a pillow.

_Annabeth found herself wearing a long Greek dress, a wreath of flowers entwined into her blond hair, golden tresses flowing from it, adorning the side of her face. But, she was trapped, inside a tower with a bolted door and a small, barred window. Annabeth peered outside curiously to be hit with a rotten stench: a fire-breathing Hydra._

_She could hear its loud screeches reverberate through the air, echoing throughout the tower walls. Annabeth found the source of the problem: a man. A man in full Greek armor had appeared, with a long drawn blade at his side. He valiantly swung it, plunging it deep into the monster's heart. _

_Annabeth couldn't keep herself watching the battle; she went to the corner of the tower as far away possible from the window. The battle lasted all but of 5 minutes. The screeches of the wretched creature had died down. Annabeth cautiously crept up to the window to peer out again. The man in armor had disappeared. She fell to a slump near the side of window, all hope lost. _

_Suddenly, she heard the creek of the stairs outside the bolted the door. The vicious throws of someone ramming the door filled the tower chamber. The wooden door splintered as the blade of a sword hit it squarely. A tall man in armor entered the room, his shield at his side. The helmet was still covering his face as he came closer to her. Annabeth's heart was beating at a hastened pace as he lowered himself down to her level. He began to lift his visor; all she could see were a pair of emerald sea green eyes peering back at her._

_Just as he was about to take off his helmet, it all disappeared in a flash._

Annabeth felt someone poke her shoulder with a pencil. She woke up with a jolt, beads of sweat covering her face and completely unaware of her surroundings. As she looked up, she saw the scowling face of her gym teacher, "Miss Chase? You do know that if you sleep in class one more time, you will be expecting a Friday detention. Am I clear?"

"Yes Mr. Nielsen," she replied meekly.

After class, Annabeth rushed to the bathroom to wash her face, Juniper and Silena following behind her closely.

"Silena, what does it mean if you see a knight in shining armor in your dreams?" Annabeth asked, pretending some nonchalance.

"What were you guys doing in the dream?" Silena asked curiously, reapplying mascara.

"It was nothing. We were just in a castle, a medieval one."

"That sounds so romantic," Juniper gushed on her other side.

"It's most likely just a dream. Everyone gets one once in a while," Silena responded.

"True." Juniper agreed, "After all, Nielsen was droning on forever with the health presentation on drunk driving. You should be glad that you fell asleep when you did. He continued on to more embarrassing things after that."

"You're probably right. It was just a dream, but it felt so real," Annabeth said, almost yearningly.

"Anyone would think it was real. I'm surprised you didn't go completely delirious from sleeping in that room. It was boiling in there," Silena scoffed.

"That's not true! Seeing a prince in your dream…it means that you'll soon meet your prince charming in real life."

Annabeth couldn't find the source of the voice, but it was coming from one of the far stalls at the end of the bathroom.

"And who could that be?" Annabeth wondered; her eyebrows slightly upraised. "Anyway, why would I believe all that nonsense when I have Luke?"

_**After School—**_

Annabeth waited outside the dine-in DQ near her school, eagerly looking for Luke. She hadn't seen him all day long and was looking forward to discussing tomorrow's plans with him.

"Luke! Over here," she waved over to him as she spotted his blond head in the parking lot. Luke looked down abashedly before walking over.

"Let's go in," he said, quietly. As they took a seat near the window, Annabeth looked up at him expectantly. "What do you want to order?" he asked just as indifferently.

"I'll have a banana split. You?"

"I don't want anything. I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Alright, so…do you know what day it is tomorrow? Thank the Gods it's a Friday. We can spend it however we plan!"

"About that. I'm…breaking up with you," Luke didn't even have the guts to look in her direction as he spoke.

"You're what?"

"Breaking up with you…"

"So, instead of treating me for our one year anniversary, which might I remind you, is tomorrow, you're dumping me?" Annabeth asked, her voiced filled with incredulity. "Unbelievable."

"I'm sorry. It just didn't work out between us."

"We've known each other for how long? And how long have we been dating?" Annabeth continued.

"Look, I really am sorry."

"Fine…Let's just forget about this."

"I'm sorry…?"

Annabeth got up, slinging her backpack onto her left shoulder. She gave Luke a pointed look, "Don't feel too bad about it. It would have been only some time till I figured out your true nature." With that, she walked out of DQ, her anger slowly rising by the minute. She took out the box she had kept in her backpack to give Luke; Annabeth took one long look at it before tossing it into the nearest trashcan.

As she got closer to her father's house, Annabeth's mood turned from one of irritation to pure grouchiness. She vented out some of her feelings by kicking at the pebbles at the side of the street. Nothing seemed to work and relieve her annoyance.

"Gods. Pull yourself together Annabeth. Who needed him anyway?" Annabeth punctuated the last rhetorical question by kicking an aluminum pop can lying on the sidewalk.

She watched it soar by, hitting the front end of a blue Maserati that had just pulled up to the curb. Annabeth saw the large scratch resulting from the pop can; she winced and began to fast walk in the opposite direction. Her breath accelerated as she heard the door of the car open.

"Hey! You. Girl with the backpack. Come back here now."

Annabeth continued walking in the opposite direction, increasing her pace.

"Are you deaf? I don't have all day. You just kicked a pop can at my car. It ruined my paint job. Who's going to pay for that? If you keep walking away, I'm going to call the cops," the owner of the car seemed to have reached the boiling point of his frustration.

Annabeth turned around slowly and unwittingly to face him, feeling cowardly. She braced herself to meet the infuriated owner. As she looked up, her eyes looked straight his face. Annabeth clasped her hands over her mouth to prevent herself from gasping. They were there, the same emerald green eyes that had rescued her in the tower…

**So, that's all for this chapter. Percabeth stories are fun to write AU as long as they're not too OoC, which I dislike. I'll try to update this story and my other story, My Little Bride, simultaneously, but it may take some time.  
**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy this first chapter. Read, review, follow, fave. Review and fave especially. Those are things that motivate any Fanfiction writer. **


	2. Chapter 2

**6 reviews, 13 faves, and 17 follows? You guys are great, so continue with that support. **

_Annabeth turned around slowly and unwittingly to face him, feeling cowardly. She braced herself to meet the infuriated owner. As she looked up, her eyes looked straight his face. Annabeth clasped her hands over her mouth to prevent herself from gasping. They were there, the same emerald green eyes that had rescued her in the tower…_

Annabeth was snapped out of her shock when the man approached her, the can crushed tightly in his fist. He waved his hand in front of her face, "Hello? Can you hear me? Are you crazy? You don't just kick cans on the street. You know how much it costs to repair a car like that? Do you?"

Annabeth just stammered incoherently, "I'm sorry."

"You think sorry will make everything better?" he practically yelled at her. "Do you know who you're talking to?"

"No…Who are you?"

"I am the owner of the car that you just damaged."

"Well, that's obvious. You made it seem like I'm talking to some millionaire's son."

"Let's get this straight. Did you throw this?" he shoved the can into her face.

"No…"

The man sighed in annoyance as he rephrased the question, "Did you kick it?"

Annabeth shook her head once in acceptance of the statement.

"You little—You think this is funny? You almost ruined my car."

Annabeth kept backing up as he came closer and closer, his rage already beyond a certain limit. She didn't see what the big deal was considering it was just a tiny scratch. And from the way he acted and looked, he behaved like he was some big shot. "What are you talking about? I didn't mean to injure your poor precious car." Annabeth almost cooed as though she were talking to a baby. "Besides, leave me alone. I'm not in a good mood either, so stop irritating me."

"Fine. Let's get to the point. What are you going to do about my car?" he asked, looking down at her with disdain.

Annabeth couldn't stop herself; this guy was being too big of a jerk, "You look rich…Can we just forget about this?"

The man's eyes widened in astonishment, "You want me to forgive you. Oh… You're funny."

"Rich jerk," Annabeth muttered under her breath, hoping he wouldn't hear her.

"Excuse me?!"

"Ok, ok. I'll pay for the damage," Annabeth relented for the time being; she secretly hoped that she'd be able to get out of it later.

"Do you know how much that car costs?" he asked, slightly taken back by her acceptance.

"How much?" Annabeth couldn't even begin to imagine how that car cost. She couldn't even tell the difference between a Porsche and a Maserati, let alone how much one cost.

"Since you're a student, I'll give you a discount. You now owe me 3 grand," he smirked, as though he was pleased with his clever remark.

"WHAT?!"

"Three thousand bucks. Didn't you hear me?"

Annabeth was at wit's end. She was just a senior in high school, and there was no way she'd be able to raise 3 grand any time soon. She knew she had no choice, "Look! Over there. A cop!"

The man spun around in a startled surprise; Annabeth took this momentary distraction to sprint in the opposite distraction.

She could hear his distant yells as ran away further.

_**Percy's Point of View—**_

Percy had enough with the girl's arrogance. Not only had she scratched his car, she had the nerve to lie and run away. He took the now fully crumpled can and threw it as hard as he could at the girl's receding figure.

"Unbelievable," he cursed out loud. As he was about to get back into the car, he noticed a wallet lying on the ground; Percy leaned down to pick it up and examine its contents.

His mouth broke out into a huge grin as he looked inside, a plan formulating in his mind. Between the girl's provisional license and school student id, he'd be able to find her again:

_Name: Annabeth Chase_

_Age: 18_

_Height: 5'5"_

_Hair color: Blond_

_Eye Color: Gray_

_Occupation: High School Senior at Staten Island_

And scribbled under her license, for his convenience, was her phone number. This was going to be good. Percy almost rubbed his hands in anticipation at the thought of getting compensation. Just she wait. Annabeth Chase will wish she had never crossed paths with Percy Jackson.

_**Annabeth Point of View—**_

Annabeth sat tucked in her bed, the blanks wrapped around her with the curtains drawn close. She was shivering in fear; Annabeth couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding that something wrong was going to come of this event.

Unable to shake off the feeling, she decided to get started on her homework. Just as she was about to finish the last problem, her phone rang, causing her to almost fall off her bed in shock. Annabeth leaned down to pick up the phone that had fallen off her bed: unidentified caller.

"Hello. Who is this?" she answered, cautious.

"It's me. We have unfinished business," a male caller responded.

"It's over isn't it? Our business is completely finished. Now, leave me alone."

"Are you crazy?"

"What? Luke Castellan, do you want me to come clarify for you? We are through like you said!"

"Who the hell is Luke Castellan? This is Percy Jackson," the voice replied with an intimidating lace of irritation.

"What? Percy Jackson? Who is this?" Annabeth had never heard of any Percy Jackson before in her life.

"Me? I am the owner of my beloved car, the Maserati Gran Turismo 2012 model that you demolished."

Annabeth gasped; she could hear the smirk behind his words. How had he caught a hold of her number? Annabeth immediately ended the call and tossed her phone out of sight. She stuffed her face deep into her pillow, near tears. Would this horrible day ever end? First with Luke, now this guy named Percy… She sat on her bed the rest of the night, thinking about the best way to escape her situation.

_**Next Day at School—**_

Annabeth had to use her arm to prop up her head in English class the next day to prevent herself from sleeping. After yesterday's events, she had not a single bit of sleep.

Silena came and slid into the seat next to her, Juniper on her other side, "So, today is the 1 year anniversary isn't it?"

Annabeth should have anticipated this coming, "We broke up yesterday."

"Why? Why'd you break up?" Juniper asked with curiosity clear in her eyes.

"What do you guys know about the Maserati Gran Turismo 2012 model?" Annabeth asked suddenly, quite obviously not focusing on her friends' conversations.

"That car is a beauty," Silena's eyes widened in a dream like manner. "I've never ridden in one, but I've seen it."

"How much would it cost to fix a scratch on one?" Annabeth asked, indicating the size of the scratch with her friends. The more and more she looked at, the more she realized how small of a scratch it really was.

"Well, I'd say around 3 grand," Silena replied pensively. "That car is really expensive. Three grand is just a small percentage of the actual worth of the car."

Annabeth slammed her head on the desk. She was doomed. Not only did she not have a way to get 3 thousand bucks, he had her phone number to haunt her. Who knows what else he had.

The bell rung to signal the end of the school day. Annabeth tried to clear her mind by listening to her friends prattle on endlessly about the school's current, most eligible bachelor.

As they were leaving the school campus, the girls saw a huge crowd gathered around one of the walls of the front entrance of the school.

"What's going on? Are they giving out free samples or something?" Annabeth laughed jokingly, her head shaking at the behavior of some people.

Some of the girls in the crowd must have overheard her cause they began pushing her towards the front of the gathering…and there it was…everywhere: Annabeth's face.

Every square inch of the wall was covered with giant posters of her enlarged face. It was the same image as in her driver's license. On the bottom of each single picture, the caption read: "Annabeth Chase. Come out right now."

Annabeth rushed to the wall, fiercely trying to rip out the sheets taped on the wall. She managed to get some off and flung them into the air behind her. Someone had obviously put in a lot of effort into this just to torture her. "Who did this?" she yelled in frustration as her nails became clogged up with the paper.

"Long time no see," a quiet voice whispered, coming from the side of the crowd. Annabeth froze in place; her head turned slowly to look at the owner of the voice. There was a tall, lean man leaning against the wall, looking rather pleased with himself, or as Annabeth would have put it, sadistic.

Annabeth grimaced awkwardly in his direction. The crowd of girls that had gathered around before had their full focus on him. Many of them were pointing at him, quietly discussing with their neighbors. Annabeth noticed that many of them were blushing and drawing their breaths when the man looked up: Percy Jackson.

"You look good," he almost said conversationally. Although his hair covered up part of his eyes, Annabeth could see the twinkle in them as he stepped forward. His handsome features were twisted into a shrewd grin, something Annabeth knew that would cost her later.

"The line seemed to have disconnected last night," he continued amicably. "I'm disappointed you didn't call back."

"My phone was dead," Annabeth had to force those words out of her mouth.

"Really? That's a pity. Well, since we didn't get a chance to talk yesterday, how about right now? You seem to be free." And with that, he quickly closed the gap in between them, deftly swooping up Annabeth off the ground, and throwing her onto his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

He began walking away from the crowd, with Annabeth pounding down on his shoulders with her fist, "Let me go now!"

"It's too late now. I already gave you your chance, but you missed it." Percy smirked at her continued, futile attempt at escaping. "You're coming with me."

**So, chapter 2 is done. If I do update tomorrow, it'll be a shorter chapter. Anyway, I'm not sure if I will update tomorrow. I promised that I'd try to update a chapter in my other story, My Little Bride, which I suggest you all check out.**

**Until then next chapter, adios. Read, review, fave, follow. Remember, more faves and follows a writer gets = happier writer = faster updates = happier fans. So, keep that equation in mind when you review.**

**They are always appreciated. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you all for the continued support for both of my stories. I know a lot of the reviewers here have also read **_**My Little Bride**_**. In light of that, I'm going to try and update that one tonight. So, continue reading and reviewing. **

Annabeth pounded on Percy's back incessantly, her anger not letting down at all. In fact, it just aggravated her how cool he was about the whole thing. What gave him the right to walk into her school campus, manhandle her, and take her away? She didn't even know him that well. There one encounter was enough to last Annabeth a lifetime of Percy. She disliked his arrogant, rich snob personality. And 3 grand? Who carries around 3 grand in their wallet? Certainly not Annabeth. Maybe Percy did, so why not pay for the scratch himself?

"Let me down!" she tried to persuade him again. He just turned his head slightly, smirked once and continued.

"Let's go for a ride," he said, coming up to the damned blue Maserati. Percy plopped her down into the seat next to the driver's seat, locked door, and got in behind the steering wheel. He expertly backed out of the tight corner in which he had parked the car. As he looked back to reverse, he rested his right arm around the top of Annabeth's headrest. Annabeth was well aware of the fact that he was doing this to make her feel uncomfortable, but she couldn't help but move as far away as the car would allow her.

After a few long lasting minutes of silence, she finally demanded, "Where are you taking me?"

"It's a beautiful day, isn't it?" he continued as though he hadn't heard her. "A beautiful day to go to the police station."

Annabeth's face turned as white as her bed sheet. Percy didn't seem to notice as he continued to drive on, whistling some cheerful tune as if it were really a beautiful day and that all was well in the world. She suddenly picture herself locked up in tower again, but this time, there was no knight in shining armor, just another monster.

"Or, should we go somewhere else instead?" Percy mused on, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. The sound was driving Annabeth mad with insanity. All that her mind could conjure were horrible images of her alone in cave with spiders coming in at all sides.

"Please don't hurt me," she finally begged.

Percy turned around to give her a lopsided grin, "I'm not going to hurt you. All you have to do is give me my 3 grand."

"I'm only a high school senior. I really don't have any money."

"So, you have no way of paying for the damage, right?"

"That's what I've been telling you," she mumbled in a mix of anxiety and irritation.

He pulled up his car in front of a restaurant, a Mediterranean restaurant by the name of Fig and Olive. Percy opened the door for her, mockingly bowing, "After you, my lady."

Annabeth was stunned by the architecture of the restaurant from the moment she stepped foot into it. If the décor was so grand, she could only imagine how good the food would be. She had never been inside a restaurant so 'posh' until now. The irony of it was that it was after meeting the rich jerk.

Percy must have been some big VIP or something. The waiter took his jacket and escorted the two into a private dining room, one facing the ocean. She could even see the Statue of Liberty from her seat.

She smiled politely at the waitress that brought in refreshments. Percy had apparently had gone through the trouble of ordering her plain water while his own beverage was much more decorated with little umbrellas and everything. Annabeth noticed that there was no menu placed before her; she attempted to catch Percy's attention, who was at the opposite end of the table. She couldn't tell if he was deliberately ignoring her or if he was actually curious as to what was on his own menu.

After speaking a few words to waiter and handing over the menu, he took something out of his pocket and tossed it to her.

"Read it," he ordered.

Annabeth glanced at it curiously before looking up, "What is it?"

"You know how to read, don't you?"

She glared at him before picking up the paper in front of her.

"Thirty bucks a day for a 100 days should cover it," he began indifferently.

"What?!"

"Just read the contract."

Annabeth took a closer look at the title of the document before her: Enslavement Agreement. "Enslavement Agreement? When did I agree to this? This is unfair. Slavery is outlawed." Annabeth sputtered out.

"When you didn't pay up, so no, it's not unfair. Think of it as being an indentured servant instead if the word enslavement makes you feel uncomfortable," he replied curtly.

"That's no better!" Annabeth replied hotly.

"Then, I'll have to meet with your parents," Percy just kept on smiling while pulling out his phone, threatening to dial the number.

"Ok. OK! I'll sign it." Annabeth carefully went through the document's terms and conditions, printing her name where stated, and signing it at the bottom. To show her displeasure, she'd glare at him after reading each page. He'd just wink in return. She had to admit, despite her previous image of him, he was pretty smart. Percy had actually put some thought into drawing up this document. But then again, he was most likely the son of some rich business person and he probably had someone else write it for him. That's when a horrible thought struck her, "You aren't trying to…?" Her voice trailed off as he scowled.

"Kid, are you actually crazy? I don't even find you that attractive," he said with a cocky, self-assured grin. Annabeth turned beet red. Just because he was good-looking, it didn't mean he had to make her feel bad about herself.

"I'll let you know that I am not ugly!"

"Never said that. I just said that I didn't find you that attractive. Sure, you're pretty. I'll give you that much, but you're not my type," he said all that without a single hint of guilt or embarrassment.

"You're blunt and arrogant. Did you know that?"

"Just hand over the papers when you're done."

She had just signed the last page of the document, dreading the moment. From this point forward and for the next 100 days, she was his slave. Annabeth slowly handed over the pages to him which he snatched up. He gave her another lopsided smirk as he flipped through the pages, chuckling to himself every once in a while. He tucked it away into his pocket again, "I'll be holding on to your license till the 100 days are over."

At that moment, steaming hot plates of food arrived. Annabeth looked at them yearningly as they were all place in front of Percy. By this point, he seemed to have forgotten about her completely as he began to dig into his meal. Only after finishing the first course did he remember, "I normally don't eat with my servants." He waved his hand at her, signaling for her to go. "But, here, buy a dessert or something. They have excellent baklava here."

He held out 5 bucks in his hand; Annabeth tried to grab it, but he stopped her, "Na-uh. What do you say?"

"Just give it to me."

"I won't have my slave talking to me like that," Percy's eyes danced with amusement. "From now on, you will call me master. Understand?"

**That's it for this chapter. Make sure to read and review. Especially review…and fave. Like I said, I'll try to update my other story tonight.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you for the reviews and faves once more. There are sometimes during the weekday when I check to see any stories are updated, and sometimes I sit there staring at my own stories… I then realize that I'm writing those fics and mentally slap myself. **

**That was a pointless story, but on we go with the story.**

_"I won't have my slave talking to me like that," Percy's eyes danced with amusement. "From now on, you will call me master. Understand?"_

Percy was pleased with the authoritative effect he had on the girl. She seemed to succumb to his every whim. Sure she had a bit of fight in her, but he knew that she was powerless. With this contract, he got a new maid. After sending the girl off, he finished his late lunch before heading back to the car.

After contemplating what to do next, he decided he'd head over to Nico's whom he hadn't seen in a while. As Percy had anticipated, he found Nico in the practice music rooms of his father's school, practicing his drums.

"Hey man, what's up?" he greeted Percy.

"Not much dude. How 'bout you?" Percy plopped down on to a chair next to Nico, putting his feet up on a drum set.

"Just chillin'."

"You do know we have classes, right? In college. We aren't in high school anymore."

Nico sighed before explaining, "Why bother? I feel like an outcast at college anyway. Besides, when my father is the principal of this school, they can't kick me out. And here I am with my drums."

"You say that like it's something to brag about," Percy snorted derisively. "Look at me. We both went to the same school, and look where I ended up in comparison to you."

"Shut up…rich jerk," Nico vented his feelings by kicking the nearest set of dumbs, mouthing, 'ow', when he accidentally injured his knee.

"You're the second person to have called me that within 24 hours."

"I wonder why," Nico said sarcastically, "Maybe cause you act like one?"

"Am I really that bad?" Percy asked, suddenly worried that maybe he was a little too harsh on that high school girl.

"Never mind. Did you get your car fixed? Did you get the money?" Nico demanded him urgently.

Percy looked at him with a glowering look, "Do I strike you as someone desperate enough to go after repair money?

"You're the one who freaked out about getting a scratch on your Maserati," Nico pointed out accurately.

Percy just returned his comment with another scowl, "I can't say I didn't exactly get the money." He handed the folded piece of paper over to Nico.

"What's this?" Nico asked in a perplexed tone.

"Why does no one read these days? Just read the dam* letter," Percy sighed in irritation as Nico began perusing the contents of the contract.

"Enslavement Agreement? I, slave, Annabeth Chase…"Nico's voice trailed off as he looked up in confusion, "I thought you aren't interested in girls…"

"It's just for fun," Percy smirked. "She scratched my car, so I might as well get some compensation."

"For 100 days?"

"You think my life is as boring as yours, stuck in a basement 24/7? Never seeing the sun shine?" Percy chuckled as he got up and patted Nico on the back.

"Boring as mine? Who does he think he is? The son of Gods or something?" Nico muttered under his breath as Percy exited the room.

_**Annabeth's House—**_

Annabeth laid flat on her stomach as she stretched out on her bed. She was close to tearing the hair from her head. Her? A slave? Just who did he think he was to enslave her? She rolled over uneasily, feeling that she was being watched. Annabeth continued to stare at her phone intently when it suddenly rang, causing her to drop it on her face, "Ow… I wonder who it is."

She pressed the answer button, asking rather arrogantly, "Hello? What do you want?"

"You didn't seriously just respond to me in such a rude manner," a cool voice responded on the other end of the line.

Annabeth's heart stopped beating; she looked around her room anxiously, trying to detect the possible presence of a surveillance camera.

"Look out the window," he suggested, continuing in the same indifferent voice, although she could still hear the slight smirk in his statements.

She froze as she made eye contact with the window. There he was; green eyes and all staring right back at her. Percy was standing in a pair of shorts in his balcony, only wearing a light jacket; he waved once, his grin almost a mile wide. Annabeth had to shove her fist in her mouth to stop herself from screaming out loud.

"You don't really live there, do you?" she asked quietly, going up to the window cautiously.

"What do you think?" Percy responded, adding a wink to the end of his rhetorical question.

Annabeth immediately dropped her phone, drawing the blinds to distance herself as much as possible away from him, "Why me? What did I ever do wrong?" She crumpled to the floor, sobbing slightly into her hands in frustration.

_**Next Day at School—**_

"Where did you find such a hottie?" Silena practically pounced on Annabeth as soon as he entered.

Thalia, another one of Annabeth's closest friends had other thoughts in her mind, "He seems so rich, and that car…That's like my dream car."

"He's not a prince," Annabeth made a sour face at the thought of him. "I guess he is kind of handsome."

"How long as it been?"

"Where'd you meet him?"

"What school does he go to?

"Where does he live?"

Annabeth was bombarded by questions on Percy from all sides. Even people she had rarely talked to came up to inquire about this supposed mysterious rich man.

"Well, we did go to the Fig and Olive for lunch yesterday," Annabeth lied smoothly. There was no need for her class to know about her 'enslavement'; she was better off being the topic of jealous gossip than disdain. She continued on casually, "He said he'd even become my slave."

"That's so cute," Juniper interrupted. "Especially right after Luke…"

"Anyway," Annabeth restarted, ignoring the last statement lest it bring up some awkward topic of conversation, "He took me on a drive in his Maserati for a while and then dropped me home late last night. I told him not to come to school since it's a little weird." She added an embarrassed blush to the end of the statement to make it seem more authentic.

Annabeth's phone chose this moment to ring; she hurriedly fished it out of her pocket to see the caller id: Green Eyed Devil. She immediately excused herself to run to the bathroom.

"Didn't I tell you to return my calls quickly?" the other voice said in an irritated manner.

"I'm sorry. I just got out of class," Annabeth tried to keep her voice as quiet as possible to make sure no one else would be able to hear the conversation. "But, why did you call me?"

"Come over to place right now."

"What?! I mean I still have two more classes left in school," Annabeth felt herself almost pleading with him. She heard dead silence on the other end as he hung on her. "Hello? Percy? Hello?!"

Annabeth ran out of the bathroom stall, only to find that her friends had all been crowding around the bathroom door.

"What was it?" Thalia asked eagerly.

"Did he ask you to come over?" Silena winked at her suggestively.

"Shut up will you?! What are you guys going on about anyway?" Annabeth knew that if she didn't hurry up, her parents would end up having to pay the 3 grand, but she needed an excuse to get out of school, "Back me up, won't you?"

Thalia and Silena chorused together, "Sure thing. We got yo' back, girl." They winked once more, only adding to Annabeth's frustration. One of these days, she was going to let her anger out on them.

Annabeth took out her lens cleaner, intentionally spraying it in her eye. Her eye began to convulse in pain as she muttered to herself, "The end justifies the means." As she headed toward the nurse's office, the nurse nearly screamed at the sight of her eye, "Go home immediately. You could be contagious and spread your pink eye to others. Leave this instance!"

Annabeth hailed a cab as soon as she got to the entrance of the school. The cab driver gave her a queer look at the sight of her bloodshot eye but complied when she gave him the address to Percy's house. She sprinted up the stairs and rang the doorbell incessantly, fearing it was too late.

"Password?" he responded, in a sing-song voice.

"Are you serious right now? I don't have time for your games!"

"Na-uh. Did you forget already?"

"What?"

"What you have to call me?"

"I'm sorry. 'Are you serious right now, Master? I do not have time for games, master!'"

"I said answer the password or leave."

"Fine, I'll leave."

"And, I'll just contact your parents."

"NO! Fine, what's the password, Master?"

"It's obviously 'open sesame'. Have you never read Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves?"

"…That's not the first thing that'd come to mind. Just let me in."

Percy unlocked door, but blocked her entrance. This allowed Annabeth to give him a look over. He wasn't in his usual formal attire for a change, and instead, was wearing another pair of shorts and a body fitting shirt. Annabeth had to keep herself from ogling at the prominent abs. To top things off, he was wearing a pair of Ray Bans, giving off the impression of word class jerk.

He moved out of the way to give Annabeth a full view of his flat for the first time. It was a complete pigsty filled with moving boxes everywhere and clothes strewn on the ground. Annabeth found dishes stacked to the top of the sink and the bed unmade as well.

"Well?" Percy asked expectantly.

"What?!"

"You're my slave aren't you? Start cleaning. I don't have all day. You have two hours," with that, he closed the door behind him. Annabeth heard the lock turn as he left the apartment, whistling a cheerful tune.

**So, read, review, and fave. Those make writers want to update faster. I'm most likely going to my other story, My Little Bride, tomorrow, so keep an eye out for that. In the meanwhile, review.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Y'all must have forgotten about me. Sorry for not updating this last week. I really did want to, but I have so many class assignments to catch up on that writing this is only preventing them from getting done. No, I don't write a chapter and hide it in a vault; I do upload it the day I write it. It seems like I won't have a life this Friday night, updating both of my stories.**

**Percy's Apartment—**

"_You have two hours."_

Annabeth's mouth was left agape as Percy exited the room; she looked around once more at the mess awaiting her eagerly. She groaned in an undertone as she flopped down on to the couch, face first. The feeling of something on her back caused her to screech as she bolted up on the couch…it was a pair of boxers? Annabeth flicked them away gingerly, as far away from her possible.

What had she done to deserve this maid job? She was only a high school student for Pete's sake. She got up to her feet sluggishly, finding a bin to start her dirty clothes collection pile. Using an elongated stick she found on the floor, she was able to manage picking up the articles of clothing strewn carelessly on the ground, sighing in disbelief when she the name of some of the brands. Ralph Lauren? Armani? One does not simply throw such clothes on the ground. _Rich jerk she thought to herself once more. _

After doing a thorough pick up of the living room and stuffing the clothes in the laundry, she decided to tackle the bedrooms next with the big vacuum cleaner leaning against the wall. Even the vacuum cleaner purred like a sports car. Who the hell was this guy anyway? Annabeth was cautious as she entered his room, not sure if she had permission to be in there. She decided she did have permission; after all, he did ask her to clean the entire house, and his bedroom is part of the entire house.

As she opened the door, Annabeth was once again surprised. What she had expected to be another reproduction of the untidy living room, she found a rather orderly king sized bed, with curtains drawn, and clothes all put away properly. Facing the king sized bed was large Samsung flat screen, taking up a good third of the wall by itself. The bed was another wonder, although still not made, it was still exuded a sense of orderliness. The ocean blue pillows were a striking pair with the sea green comforter, the same color as his eyes. As she bent over to lift the comforter to tidy up the bed, a stack of magazines fell to the ground beside her. Annabeth picked one up, in curiosity, her eyes widening again. One thing after another seemed to hit her. Every time she thought she had gotten his character down, another shock stared at her in the face, just like his personality. She put down the magazines in disgust after flipping through the first few pages. So, he was one of those guys into those types of things…To each their own.

With that, Annabeth finished up the vacuum, pleased at having finished within an hour and 45 minutes. She plopped down on to the couch once more, feeling the refreshing scent in the living room already. Just as she had gotten comfortable, the door swung open to let Percy and another man behind him in.

The man had a gentle, yet rough face. He seemed like the fisherman type, sporting a goatee and a pair of shades. The man removed his shades to reveal the same startling sea green shade of eyes. He gave her an appraising look before turning to Percy, "Who is this girl? I've never seen you with her before."

Percy shot the other man an uncomfortable look, before muttering, "She's nobody."

"What's she doing here?"

"I'm his maid," Annabeth broke into the middle of his conversation.

The older man raised his eyebrows, still looking at Percy, "A maid? Are you sure you aren't dating a minor?"

"What?!" Percy asked in surprise, "Dad, you know I'm not into her type."

So, the older man was his dad. Annabeth knew that only an idiot wouldn't see the resemblance between the two.

"She's just a maid," Percy repeated, reiterating the point.

"Really?"

"Really. And you can go now," Percy nodded once in Annabeth's direction before turning to look at his father again.

Annabeth's face fell. She had at least expected a small thank you or something, but no. He didn't even have the courtesy or gratitude to smile properly while addressing her. She began walking to the door when she heard him call.

"Hey, wait a minute."

Annabeth turned around to find him right behind her; keeping one pocket in his hand, he removed a ten dollar bill from his other, "Take it."

"What?"

"Go buy something kid. You did just clean the house after all," he smirked once before heading back in the other direction. Annabeth knew that she should have been slightly happier considering she was just complaining about his ingratitude, yet somehow; the patronizing tone he used seemed to take away all meaning from it.

**Next Day After School—**

Annabeth hadn't received a call from Percy since yesterday. Hoping that he wouldn't call any time soon, she planned on hanging out with her friends. Due to this whole Percy issue, she had not had much time to talk with them.

"Senior year sucks," Thalia began, "I haven't had any time to go any concerts this year at all with all that homework these teachers give us."

"Senior year in high school is about studying, but I doubt you three have studied enough for it to be called depressing," Annabeth complained, adding to the conversation.

"Shut up Annie!" Thalia barked at her.

"We should chill today. We have nothing better to do," Silena pointed out.

"Where do you wanna go? Thalia demanded.

"Let's go the mall!" Silena said eagerly, Juniper eagerly shaking her head in unison.

"That sounds like fun," Annabeth tried to sound enthusiastic, but must have failed.

Thalia snorted once, "Since you're too busy dating to talk with us, we're gonna go by ourselves. See ya. Why don't you go study since that's your other passion?" And with that, the other three girls left Annabeth at the school entrance, they themselves heading to the Silena's car.

Just at that opportune moment, Annabeth's phone rang: Green Eyed Devil. Oh perfect, now he calls. In some sense, Annabeth was glad he had called now and not later. If her friends had taken her along and he had called…

"What do you want...Master?" Annabeth added the last bit after an afterthought.

"Let's go shopping," the voice on the other end went silent as he hung up once more on her.

**At the Mall—**

Annabeth's mouth hung open once she saw the name on the shopping complex store: Burberry? Did he seriously have to shop there? Wasn't target up to his taste? If not Target, Izod?

Percy was already browsing through one of the racks, a huge pile of dress shirts lying on a bench near him. He looked up when he saw her approaching, "Good, you're here. Take all these shirts. I don't want them crinkled. Lemme try some on, but take the rest to the counter and pay for them." He handed her his debit card before heading for the dressing room.

By the end of the day, Annabeth ended having to carry six shopping bags loaded with clothes, three on each hand. Percy, being Percy, hadn't offered to carry a single bag, "Where to next, your highness?"

"I want to see a movie," Percy replied, not noticing the use of sarcasm.

"Which one?"

"Zero Dark Thirty."

Once more, Annabeth couldn't help but be rather impressed by the choice of his movie. He had surprised her again with all the movies he could have chosen. She was snapped out of her 'reverie' with him getting the tickets, asking her to go buy the popcorn and pop.

Annabeth sighed and went to wait in the long, winding line. Twenty minutes later, as she entered the theatre, Annabeth noticed that the movie had already started. Percy gave her a long withering look before asking, "What took so long?"

Before Annabeth could protest, he gestured for her to shut up and take the seat next to him. Fifteen minutes later, Percy nudged her.

"What?"

"We're out of popcorn. Get some more."

"How could we be out of popcorn already? I haven't even eaten any!"

"Be quiet. You're in a theatre. Quit complaining and go get some."

Annabeth once more went back to the line, waiting another ten minutes. Percy soon fell into a routine of demanding a refill on either his drink or popcorn every five minutes. By the time Annabeth had actually sat down, everyone else was standing up, the ending credits of the movie playing.

"C'mon. Time to go," Percy nudged her again. Annabeth shot him a look of disdain and moved as far away from him as possible.

Silence permeated the air in the car ride back. Neither of them said anything, until Percy began, "My car's getting dirty with all the snow. Clean it."

As Annabeth got out, she was tempted to kick it once more. Afraid she'd leave another burdensome dent, she slogged along up to his apartment, dropped off the bags and picked up a bucket and cleaning supplies. Percy sat in his car coolly as she began scrubbing vigorously, thinking up ways to somehow damage the car without more incriminating evidence being placed on her. By the time she was done, Annabeth was left near panting, when Percy stuck his head out the window, another 10 dollar bill in his hand, "Here you go." With that, he drove off in the direction of the apartment garage.

Annabeth stood there for a while longer, staring at the bill in her hand. Just as she was about to enter her apartment building, she saw another car pull up her.

"Dad!" she shouted, trying to get his attention.

Mr. Chase's attention, now diverted from the road, looked at his daughter in surprise, causing him to lose control of the wheel. Annabeth looked on in shock as the side of the car slammed into another one in front.

"What did I do again…?" Annabeth rushed to the driver's door, helping her dad out of the car. Her dad seemed more concerned about the car than his own health, "I have to pay for this too?! Does money grow on trees nowadays?"

Annabeth walked over to the other side of the car to examine the damage incurred; it was another one similar to the dent on Percy's car, almost identical.

"Dad," Annabeth began queerly, "How much would a dent like that cost to fix?"

"100 bucks. I don't have time for this! I have so much work to do," Mr. Chase continued ranting.

A hundred bucks? The gears in Annabeth's mind began spinning faster. It was only a hundred bucks to fix a dent like that? Percy Jackson, just you wait. Annabeth Chase is just planning her revenge.

**Make sure to review. I'm not quite sure when I'll update again, but till then, review and fave.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Once again, you must have all forgotten about this story. It's been over 2 weeks since the last update. I apologize for that. So, without further ado. **

_**In Annabeth's room—**_

So, he had cheated her, treating her like slave. But…What was the point? What good did it do for him? It's not like he was interested in her or even liked her. But then again, he did get a free maid to do all his chores.

That was it. Time for some payback. _Percy Jackson, just see how much you want me around after today!_

Annabeth ran to the convenience store around the corner from her apartment, rushing into the building breathless. She asked the man at the counter for two cans of black and white spray paint. Although the storekeeper seemed slightly curious, he didn't question her. As she rushed back to the apartment complex, she entered via the garage, hoping Percy wasn't there.

Annabeth removed the top of the spray can, grinning with pleasure at the thought of the look on Percy's face.

After she had finished her 'devious' plan, Annabeth began formulating the next part of her revenge. Being a stickler for rules, this somewhat excited Annabeth. Percy Jackson deserved the least of this for the troubles he had been causing her.

As soon as the work was done, Annabeth walked out of the garage discreetly, hoping that no one had noticed.

_**Percy's Apartment—**_

Percy considered calling Annabeth, but he had no reason to. And as of now, he was fresh out of excuses for her to do his chores. Having nothing better to do, he decided he might as well go to class for the day. He had been so worried about his car damage and getting compensation for it that he had completely skipped classes these last few days. The college had sent a letter of probation yesterday threatening him with suspension if he didn't show up today for classes.

He pulled on a pair of black slacks and a white polo shirt before picking up the keys from the counter and heading downstairs. Percy tipped the man at the garage to go bring the car up. As the other man returned, Percy's eyes almost bugged out of his eye sockets. His car! His beautiful blue Maserati was ruined. The entire front windshield was spray painted black with white lettering on top, reading: _"Master, I didn't want your eyes to hurt from the sun, so instant sun protection."_

Percy's teeth ground in frustration, regretting ever having met that girl. That scratch she had made was nothing compared to the cost of replacing a whole windshield. This girl was just asking for it. She'd have to be his servant for the rest of her life to pay off this damage. With a completely black windshield, his car was pointless. He'd have to get it replaced later, but for now, he had to go to class before they suspended him.

He hailed a cab. Having never ridden in a bus before, Percy did not want to venture a chance today. The entire ride to school, one thought occupied his mind wholly: What was he going to do about Annabeth Chase? Who was she, and what gave her the right to ruin his Maserati?

Percy tipped the driver on his way out, still mulling over the situation as he entered campus. Almost instantaneously, he noticed various students, underclassmen included, were staring at him oddly whilst pointing and whispering to their friends secretly. He did a quick double check on himself to make sure he was missing something important.

Percy pretended to ignore them as he hitched up his backpack further and continued straight on, without giving them a second thought. But, to his irritation, there was a large crowd gathered around the courtyard of the front entrance, blocking his way into the building.

He parted his way through the crowd, pushing rather rudely, "Excuse me. I actually have classes to attend." Surprisingly, the crowd did make way for him, but in replacement, they all stared at him like mindless cows.

That's when he heard a loud, clear voice through a bullhorn, "He's a womanizer that rides around in a blue Maserati. He's a horrible man. Don't let him trick you like he tricked me. He left me alone with my son. Never to come back. No child support, nothing…"

Percy's face paled as he realized whose voice it was. The girl continued her diatribe, even sobbing to make it seem more authentic. Strapped to her back was unmistakably a baby. At this point, Percy couldn't even comprehend. He had only known her for about two weeks, there was no way…

He pushed further ahead in the crowd until he faced her directly. There was a sudden hush in the crowd as people in the back began craning their necks to hear what he had to say. Annabeth's face was flushed as she took a look at the man in front of her. She was midsentence and holding a flyer with his face on it when he intercepted it. Percy turned her around, took one look at the baby strapped to her back, and grabbed it. It was just a doll that you'd find at Target.

He turned around to face the crowd, "You seriously all fell for this high schooler's pathetic scam attempt?! This doll is fake, all plastic! See." With that, he threw the doll on the ground, grabbed Annabeth by the hand, and once again, roughly pushed his way through, away from the crowd.

"Are you crazy? Are you asking for trouble, kid? First the car, now staging a stupid scene. What the hell do you want?" Percy had to control himself from slapping her across the face. It took all his willpower to not shake some sense into her.

"You're the one who lied first about the car repair costing 3 grand!"

"And now you're talking back to me… What about that agreement? We had an agreement."

Annabeth just scowled in reply.

Percy continued, "Maybe you're too young to know this, or you have no business sense at all. But you can go to jail for breaking a contract."

"I'm not stupid. If anyone is stupid, that'd be you. I could sue you too under the same case for malicious intent," Annabeth retorted angrily.

"Good luck trying to prove that one to the Courts."

"Fine, then fraud! That can be easily proven."

Percy's face fell at the mention of fraud. He got down on both knees, and looked up at her, "I'm sorry. It's all my fault. Don't sue me."

Annabeth looked at him with a mixture of shock and winning. But almost immediately, Percy got up, "You actually think I'd say that? Sue me. You'd probably lose more money trying even if you did win. Besides, the chances are so slim, it doesn't even matter to me."

Annabeth opened her mouth to reply when Percy interrupted again, "You thought that would actually scare me. In fact, I want to see you try and sue me. So don't stop where you are now."

"You don't think I can do it? You're just skeptical. Just watch. You will regret," With that, Annabeth pushed past him, walking in the other direction as fast as possible.

Percy waited till the end of the school day to confront Annabeth again. He stood outside her school entrance impatiently. As soon as Annabeth spotted him, she made a run for it, heading towards the apartment. Percy lost her at a street corner which for some odd reason was filled with pedestrians. By the time they had cleared out, Annabeth was nowhere in sight.

He returned to the apartment complex where he debated whether or not to go after her. Percy then decided that there was no reason as to why her parents would welcome a stranger like him into the house. Just as he was about to turn around, a flyer attached to one of the bulletin boards caught his eye.

As he skimmed through it eagerly, he thought to himself, _You're dead now, Annabeth Chase._

_**Annabeth's Room—**_

Annabeth had run into her house breathlessly under the suspicious glare of her mother.

"Mom! Let me transfer schools. Please!"

"What's the matter? You're in your senior year of high school. Do you realize how bad that would look on your college transcripts if you transferred now? Stay focused Annabeth! I even began searching for SAT tutor for you today. This what counts."

"Mom, no…" Annabeth realized there was no point in arguing with her mother. She walked into her room dejectedly, slamming the door behind her and dumping the books on her bed.

She began doing her homework when she heard the doorbell ringing; her mother answered it. Within moments, she heard the faint sounds of murmuring and introductions being made. Annabeth couldn't tell who, but she recognized it to be a man's voice. Annabeth's mother soon began to even giggle slightly. Whoever this man was, he was already in her good books, which made Annabeth hate him already.

"Annabeth!" her mother called, "Come out. Here's the SAT tutor I had told you about. He seems so intelligent."

Annabeth got up resignedly and walked out to the front entrance. A man wearing a pair of black slacks, a white polo, and thin framed glasses stood at the door. Annabeth couldn't prevent herself from letting out a yelp.

Her mother chastised her behavior, "Annabeth, say hello to Mr. Jackson. He will be your new tutor from now on."

**I'll try and update soon, but no promises. It feels so odd writing about Percy like this when he's the exact opposite in my other story, **_**My Little Bride. **_**Make sure to read and review that one too.**

**Also, I've been considering writing another story based off of a KDrama called Playful Kiss. Tell me what you think of the plot. It will be AU, all human, and OoCish. **

**Synopsis: Annabeth is at the bottom of her class (I know…Annabeth is generally smart, but for the sake of the story); cold, indifferent Percy is at the top. He is the perfect student with good grades, good looks, and athletic abilities. Annabeth has admired Percy from afar for the last 4 years, but if there's one thing he hates, it's a girl without guts who is ranked at the bottom. Due to an unfortunate incident, fate throws them under the same house. How will the two cope with living together and will they learn to get past their differences?**

**I want to get a chapter out for that story by Monday. Till then read, review, and fave. **


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm sorry for not updating sooner. I've had term final exams these last 2 weeks, and they just got over. To make up for that, longer chapter. And on that note, since I'm on spring break, I should be updating more often.**

_**Annabeth's House—**_

Percy put on fake smile, hoping to convince Annabeth's mother of his genuineness. He then turned to Annabeth, still with the cheery grimace on his face, "Hello Annabeth. I'm your new tutor, Mr. Jackson. Pleased to meet you."

Percy stuck out his hand as Annabeth glared at it dubiously, as though it were infested with bugs.

Mrs. Chase smiled at the young man's polite behavior, just what she needed to train Annabeth out of her standoffish and arrogant personality. She looked back at Percy, smiling brightly, "Well if that's it and introductions are done, I'd be thrilled, Mr. Jackson, if you and Annabeth started tutoring right away. Annabeth, show him to your room."

"But mom…" Annabeth began protesting. There was no way that she could bring a guy into her room, let alone this guy, her one and only nemesis.

"That's a brilliant idea, Mrs. Chase," Percy said, adjusting his thin wire frames.

Mrs. Chase blushed once at the young man's compliment before ushering Annabeth out, "Annabeth, take him now."

Annabeth was determined to openly show him all the displeasure. "This way," she grumbled, irritated.

Percy let out a low, hoarse chuckle to Mrs. Chase, "Feisty, isn't she? Don't worry, Mrs. Chase, I'm sure we'll get along splendidly."

Percy closed the door behind them after they had both entered the room. Annabeth was scared stiff, her back as straight as a hare. "What do you want?" She hissed.

"What do you want, Master?" Percy corrected her with a slightly vile undertone. "Have you forgotten that already?"

"Look, I don't know what you did to be hired by my mom, but you better not do anything to me. She's right there."

"I'm not stupid…Unlike some people I can mention," Percy glared at her pointedly, insinuating she was the object of his accusation.

"Shut up. Now that you're here, what do you want? How could you irritate me here? Don't tell me you're actually here to tutor me for the SAT," Annabeth rolled her eyes at the last statement. What exactly did he want to accomplish? It seemed futile to her.

"As a matter of fact, I am here to tutor you. I'm not that low. I'll keep my promise to your mom while I have my own agenda to deal with you."

"Alright then, Master, what are we starting with?"

Percy dug into his briefcase, pulling out a thick blue book that landed with a huge thump as he dropped it on her desk: "The Official SAT Study Guide".

Annabeth's face paled at the thought of going through the whole book, "You can't be serious?! I can't do this!"

"Are you finally admitting that you're dumb?"

"Don't you dare call me dumb! I'm just dyslexic," Annabeth's cheeks flushed. Her dyslexia had always been the cause of most of her problems. She was, in fact, smarter than her mother thought, but dyslexia always kicked in the worst during tests, causing her to panic and do poorly.

Percy's raised his eyebrows disbelievingly, "That's your excuse? You're dyslexic?"

"Why do you even bother tutoring me? You're just going to insult my every word. Besides, you don't seem to exude any brilliance yourself, sunshine," Annabeth's words dripped with sarcasm.

"I got into NYU with honors," Percy began.

"Aren't you just a genius?" Annabeth retorted sharply.

"With dyslexia," Percy finished, saying it almost imperceptibly.

Annabeth's eyes widened, "You're dyslexic too?"

"That's what I just said. Why do you think your mom hired me? She thought that I could help you better since I understand your situation. You're right. I wasn't the brightest in my class, but look at me now. I'm my father's heir to his corporation, and I got into NYU."

"Wow…" Annabeth breathed out, "And you're actually going to help me?"

"Yes, now turn to the first practice test section and begin."

"How long are—"

"Stop talking. Do your work," Percy had gotten up and walked to the window, staring at his apartment window. "You know, you have a pretty good view of my room from here." He suggested, with a small grin on his face.

"Shut up, you perv! I'm trying to work."

The next two hours passed by quietly, with no interaction between the two. Percy had grabbed a book from Annabeth's shelf and had proceeded to looking through it while Annabeth struggled with the reading passages.

Percy looked over her shoulder curiously, "Reading? Give the book to me."

He went through the problems she had done. Annabeth had done just fine in the math section, but then came reading. Two out of every 13 were right for each passage. Percy looked at her with a sense of disdain, "That's 15%. You can't even get into a community college with that score!"

"That's why you're here to help!"

Percy sat down right beside her, so close that the stench of his Axe overwhelmed her. "Look here. Take each passage line by line. Don't rush. It's better not to answer the questions than to get them all wrong."

Annabeth's breath was hitched at his close presence; she couldn't concentrate on what he was saying, "What?"

Percy glared at her, "You're making a very convincing statement proving that you are stupid."

"I didn't hear you the first time!"

Heaving a sigh, Percy re-explained it, "Here, let's do this passage together."

Annabeth put all her focus into the work in front of her, ignoring the proximity as much as possible. Successfully having gone through one, Percy waited for her to do the next question. Annabeth tuned out all the things distracting her, solely looking for what the question stated. She circled c, looking at Percy expectantly. He looked down at the answer and then back up again, "Good job." Percy had to fight back a small smile at Annabeth's bright shining eyes.

"Let's do the next passage," he said quickly.

He began reading the passage out loud. His voice almost put Annabeth in a dream like trance; it was so smooth but rough at the same time. Inadvertently, Annabeth had moved closer to Percy during this time. Her head dipped close to his.

"Got it?" he asked. Percy looked up to find Annabeth's face inches from his own. There was a moment when neither of them moved, but Percy cleared his throat loudly, "Ahem."

Annabeth instantly moved away, "I—"

"I should probably be leaving now. It's late," Without another word, Percy slung his bag over his shoulder, leaving Annabeth in the room alone. Once back in his room, he collected his thoughts. Just what exactly was he doing? Why did he go to tutor her in the first place? Shaking his head free from such thoughts, he plopped down on to his bed; face first, waiting for the sleep to hit him.

_**Next Day—**_

Percy went to visit Nico again. Like last time, he was still with him drums.

"Hey Perce," Nico greeted cheerfully.

"What's up man?"

"Not much. How about you?"

"Nothing."

"How's it going with the slave of yours?"

"It's fine."

"Give me the details bro. You two lasted longer than I expected. You aren't dating her are you?"

"Shut up DiAngelo," Percy punched Nico in the shoulder. "Hell no."

"Then…"

"Why would I go out with a girl like that? My slave becomes my girlfriend. That makes sense," Percy wasn't sure if Nico had caught on to the sarcasm, so he said, "The answer is no."

"That's how it works in movies."

"Nico, do me a favor."

"Yeah?"

"Shut the hell up." Percy left his friend. It was pointless talking with a guy like that. He didn't know why he even went to visit him in the first place.

_**Later that Week—**_

Annabeth's mother was noticing a change in her daughter's behavior. The initial animosity which she had shown her tutor was now gone, replaced more with an alternating pattern of grins and grimaces.

Mr. Jackson had called to let her know that he was taking Annabeth somewhere today. His instructions were that Annabeth was to wear something nice.

"Annabeth," her mother almost sang, "Mr. Jackson called."

"What did he want?" Annabeth asked curiously.

"He's taking you somewhere. Wear something elegant."

"What?!"

"Just do it."

Annabeth considered going out in her school clothes. She didn't have to dress up nice just so because he wanted. But she remembered the first time he had taken her to a restaurant. She hated to admit it, but the man had class. Even if she dressed up badly, it would only ruin her own reputation, not his.

She threw on a gray, knee-length dress, with a thin belt strapping the waist. Annabeth decided to let her hair down; it wasn't too curly today and looked decent enough.

At 6:00 prompt, the doorbell rang, Percy standing outside. He looked…gorgeous. Annabeth had to admit that Percy always cleaned up well, today more so than others. He had on a black suit with a green tie to match his sea green eyes.

"Mrs. Chase, I thought I'd take Annabeth out to dinner for the night. She's been working hard enough these past few days, and she deserves a break."

"Oh, of course," Mrs. Chase looked flustered at Percy's appearance, but said nothing about it.

"Well, Annabeth," Percy smirked, "You ready." Once Mrs. Chase had ushered them out of the house, Annabeth turned to Percy, her eyebrows pulled together in a quizzical look, "What are you playing at?"

"Nothing. Just thought we could chill. I didn't want to spend my Friday night tutoring you, so don't think this is a big deal."

"Of course," Annabeth muttered under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing Master," She replied in a falsely sweet manner.

"Get in," Percy gestured to the Maserati.

"Why are you being nice?"

"Do you want me to be rude?"

"No…"

"Then do as I tell you."

With a huff, Annabeth got into her seat, strapping the buckle, "Where are we going?"

"You'll see," Percy pulled out of the garage, with his arm around her seat. Annabeth cringed away, but Percy didn't notice anything.

The car ride, as per normal, was silent. Annabeth felt that any attempt at conversation would result in a failure and that her best bet was to keep her mouth shut.

They had driven deep into downtown New York City when Percy pulled into the entrance of the restaurant. Annabeth couldn't see the name of the restaurant, but knew it was fancy when a porter opened the door from her. Percy tossed the man the keys, indicating he should go park it.

"What is this place?! Why did you bring me here?"

"Have you never heard of the Per Se? I guess I should have expected it, considering your sense of class…"

"The Per Se? As in one of the most expensive restaurant in NYC?"

"Yes, as in THE Per Se."

All Annabeth could say then was, "Why?"

"Like I said. I wanted to go out, but I'm stuck tutoring you. I brought you along instead. I told your mom we will be studying as well."

"We're going to study here."

"I said that's what I told her, not what we're actually going to do. Anyway, I hope you don't mind. This place has a fixed dining service already, so you don't have the hassle of ordering."

"Thanks," Annabeth rolled her eyes at his consideration.

They had a private table for two already arranged, the food causing the table to groan. The wafts coming from the dishes were too much for Annabeth to bear. She could hardly contain her excitement as she teased, "I thought you didn't eat with your slaves."

"I do on occasion," Percy grinned, his straight, white teeth flashing a smile at her. Annabeth put a fist on her heart, making sure it wasn't audible enough for him to hear. But Percy just looked at her pointedly, "You going to eat?"

"Yes!" Annabeth dug into her food, not even noticing Percy's upturned mouth. He too proceeded to eating. Dinner conversation was limited, mainly consisted of pauses where both were taking a breather from their entrée.

Percy seemed oddly curious all of a sudden, asking Annabeth questions about school, her life, her childhood, and other things in general. Yet, when Annabeth mentioned any of those to him, he would clam up immediately, changing the topic. Annabeth wasn't sure if he was even listening to her half the time. He would nod once in a while, holding her eyes intently with his own.

Their conversation dropped again as they brought out the tiramisu and crème brule. Annabeth ate as much as she possibly could till she almost felt like she'd burst. She restrained herself from eating one more bite. Percy, on the other hand, ate as voraciously as he did the rest of the courses. Annabeth didn't know how he ate so much and still managed to stay lean.

"You done?" he asked, wiping some of the cream from the corner of his mouth.

Annabeth nodded absently.

"Come on then."

The car was waiting out for them at the front. Percy tipped the man generously before getting into the driver's seat. As they drove, Annabeth busied herself on her phone, texting her mother to avoid any more conversation with Percy.

By the time they had gotten out of the car, it had started to rain, the downpour hitting them full on.

Percy's suit drench immediately, but they were within a yard of the apartment buildings. Annabeth knew she was probably a sight to see with her wet hair hanging loosely, but she didn't care any longer. He was dripping with rain too.

"Thank you for everything, Master," With that, she quickly gave him a peck on the cheek before making a run for her apartment.

Percy just stood there in a dazed state, letting himself to soak to the bone.

**Nine pages. Wow. Anyway, I have a few new stories planned out. I plan on updating/writing the chapters sometime this next week. Like I said, I'm on break, so more updates, but don't hold me to it.**

**Anyway, review, fave, and follow folks.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thanks to those who reviewed, faved, and followed. Now, on with the story.**

**Disclaimer: I own neither the plot nor the characters, just the mind that put the two together. **

_**Annabeth's House—**_

Percy was lying on Annabeth's bed, his arms behind his head, looking directly at the ceiling. Annabeth, on the other hand, was left to work on the ground, looking at the SAT book once more. They had been in the same position for the last couple of hours as Percy blankly stared into space and Annabeth tried to focus on the reading passages. Neither had commented on the incident that had occurred yesterday, almost passing it off as nonexistent. In fact, they pretended so well that something in the atmosphere of the room seemed amiss.

Percy found a pillow on Annabeth's bed and proceeded to chuck it at her head.

"What do you want?" Annabeth turned around slowly with a murderous glance on her face, having been distracted from her studies.

"When does your summer break start?" He asked, his deep sea green eyes sparkling with a plan in his mind.

"It started yesterday. Why?"

"Let's go on a trip this week. Take a break and then come back and study for the SAT."

"Are you crazy?"

"What?"

"First, you say you don't eat with your slaves. Now, you want to go on vacation together? The SAT is also a few days after."

"I need someone to carry my luggage…"

"Shut up."

"No, but in all seriousness, why not?"

"Cause, that's not people do. We're not dating, and people will think you're a pedophile."

"I'm not that much older than you," he sputtered. Suddenly, Percy became more conscious. Was he being too straightforward? After all, she did raise a valid point. Why would she ever want to go anywhere with him. All she did was kiss him on the cheek as a thank you. That wasn't that big of a deal. And here he was…The phrase, _that escalated quickly,_ came to his mind.

"Besides, did you even consider my mother? How would I tell them that I'm going on a holiday with my SAT tutor who also happens to be my master?"

Percy found himself smiling; he tried to hide it before he continued, "So, that's the only issue, right? You're not actually refusing me?" She did want to go with him.

"You better get your mind out of the gutter," Annabeth said sharply, noting the grin on his face.

The grin immediately disappeared, being replaced by a scowl instead, "My intent was completely innocent. You're the one who seems to be having such thoughts. I really thing we should just go to the beach overnight or something. You can invite your friends too."

"You still haven't solved the whole parent issue," Annabeth pointed out once more, not in the least bit understanding why he was doing this.

"There's a way for everything, leave it to me."

_**Later that Day—**_

Percy pulled up flight schedules for a weekend trip later that evening on his Mac. A cruise for two to the Bahamas. That sounded good; there was no way this offer could be passed up. Printing out the information and sealing it in an envelope, he placed a postage stamp on it before slipping it into the Chase apartment mail slot.

He quickly returned to his apartment as he saw Mrs. Chase approach to collect the mail. Mrs. Chase picked up all the mail that she had received and as she mounted the stairs, she flipped through them, deciding which ones were spam and which were not.

She let out a scream that could have woken up the entire apartment complex had it been night. Annabeth rushed out of the room to find her mother at the front entrance. The mail had all been scattered around her while she held one envelope in her hand.

"Mom, what is it?"

"Annabeth, you'll never believe it! Your father and I won a week long cruise to the Bahamas!"

"What?!"

"Look!"

"Are you sure it's not a scam?"

"Stop being so pessimistic. Of course not. The tickets and reservations are already printed. It's authentic. The plane departs tomorrow night."

At the moment, the text tone beeped on Annabeth's phone, indicating she had a message: _Play along. I told you there was a way for everything._

Annabeth felt her heart beat faster. No way did he actually just pay for a full expense paid trip to the Bahamas for her parents just so they could have some fun themselves at the beach. The thought only made her blush even more.

"You know mom. That's a good idea. I'm sure you'd love it."

"I'm sorry Annabeth. I'd love to take you, but there's only two for dad and I."

"It's totally fine, mom. You guys go ahead. You haven't been on break since I was in elementary school. Besides, I have to prep for the SAT."

"We should be here for you."

"Mom, no. I insist. You and dad have some fun."

"Alright…"

_**Next Day—**_

"Annabeth, you know all the emergency numbers. There's some food on the fridge. Don't hesitate to call me if you need anything," her mother continued to fret as her father seemed eager to leave.

"Mom, it'll be fine," Annabeth promised. As an added aside, she said with an undertone, "Not like you'll get reception out on the cruise anyway."

"What was that?"

"Nothing, mom."

"We'll miss you sweetheart. Hang out with some friends or something. Don't stay at home all day and study."

_Don't you worry mom_, Annabeth thought to herself. She'd have plenty of time to hang out with her friends. Annabeth knew the only reason her mom said that was because she felt guilty for leaving Annabeth alone while they went on a trip.

"Honey, come one, we're getting late. The cab's here." With a last kiss on the cheek, both her parents left, leaving Annabeth to fend for herself. Percy said that he and his friend would be over an hour after her parents left; Thalia called to say that she'd be there before the boys arrived.

A few hours later, Annabeth found herself standing in front of a large private owned boat in Long Island: _Lord Poseidon_. Thalia and Nico stood their openmouthed themselves.

"What is this?" she turned and asked Percy.

Percy chuckled nervously while scratching the back of his head; he looked uncomfortable as he replied, "It's my boat? We own some of the wharfs here. I decided this would be a better place to stay instead of booking a hotel. There's a room for you and Thalia, and Nico and I can share the other one."

"You own a boat?!"

"Yeah…"

"Unbelievable."

"…Thanks."

Thalia broke in before the conversation became more awkward, "So, are we going to board now, or what? Do you know how to drive it?"

"Of course I do," Percy looked at Thalia as though she were insane. "You guys can go throw your stuff in there. Nico and I will wait outside. They have waterskiing and all if you want to try it."

"Sure!" the girls replied eagerly.

After leaving their luggage in their room, Annabeth and Thalia came back out to find Percy and Nico in their lifejackets, each holding out an extra one, "Here you go."

"I've never been waterskiing before," Annabeth admitted, slightly nervous at the prospect of trying something new.

"You aren't serious, are you?"

"Annabeth, even I've been waterskiing," Thalia rolled her eyes.

"I'm dead serious."

Percy raised her eyebrows musingly, "In that case, I guess we'll get a tube."

"A tube?"

"A two person tube, so that you know, you can hang on to me if you get scared," Percy replied, winking.

"No way!" Annabeth said hotly, her cheeks turning a deep crimson red.

"Well, it's your loss then…"

"C'mon Annie!"

"Thalia, don't call me that."

"Please, for me?" Thalia did her puppy dog face. One that she never uses unless she really wanted something.

Annabeth was a sucker for that face, "Fine… But if I hate it, you'll regret it, Thals." Thalia rushed to give Annabeth a hug, "You won't."

Percy grunted, "If I made that face, would that have convinced you to join?"

Annabeth stuck out her tongue, "We'll see, Seaweed Brain."

Nico chuckled, "Where'd she get that name from?"

"I have no idea," Percy watched Annabeth go back into get her swimsuit. "I have no idea at all."

Thalia and Nico decided to drive the boat first while Annabeth and Percy got into the tube. Percy looked at Annabeth appreciatively as her grey swimsuit hugged the curves of her body. He had to admit she looked sexy in that swimsuit and had to keep himself from whistling.

Annabeth herself had difficulty looking away from Percy's washboard abs and swimmer's body, lithe yet strong. He held his hand out to her as she steadied herself getting in. As their hands touched, she almost recoiled at the shock that hit from the sensation. Percy didn't notice anything, training his eyes solely on her.

"You alright?"

"Yeah, just a little nervous."

"Don't worry. I won't let you fall. I'm a trained lifeguard."

"I'm afraid you might push me off."

"That…I might do," Percy grinned ear to ear as Annabeth frowned, "Don't joke around like that."

"You brought it up."

Nico started revving up the motor as Thalia secured her seat, "Don't get wild back there, you two."

"Shut up Thals!"

The boat started going at speeds faster than what Annabeth was used to, much faster. There was no way that she was going to be able to stay on the boat. She could feel herself almost slip as the water splashed up on her. Percy just turned his head to look at her while smirking, not saying a word.

Annabeth wanted to wipe the stupid gin off his face. She managed to lift an arm to punch him in the shoulder. Unknowingly, she caused an imbalance in the tube, causing her to start slipping. She opened her mouth to say help, but no words came out; Annabeth shuddered as her legs fell in contact with the cold ocean water. At that moment, Percy noticed the unequal shift in weight of the tube, his eyes becoming wide in shock as he quickly scrambled to grab her arm. But, it was too late. Annabeth had difficulty grasping the slippery tube, her arms falling to the side. In panic, Percy dove in after her, her powerful arms surging through the cutting water as he grabbed her. He came in from below her as he pushed her up to the surface of the tube once more. She was seated on his shoulder, trying to latch on to the tube. Having succeeded on getting on board, Annabeth was coughing up the salt water; her mind started spinning as she saw Percy's anxious face hovering above her.

"Annabeth, Annabeth, get up," he started shaking her, in the meanwhile indicating Nico to head back to shore. To pump the water out, he thrust his arms on her chest, forcing the water out. She spat it out, directly into his eye. Her breathing was still off though; he leaned down to do CPR. His mouth crushed into hers, trying to resuscitate her. Annabeth thrashed around her arms like lead weights at her side.

Percy lifted her up once they got back, taking her to where their stuff was set up on the beach. Slowly, Annabeth began coming back to her senses.

"Water," she croaked.

Percy tossed her a bottle of water while handing a towel. "Put this on your head," he ordered.

Annabeth began drying her hair, trying to avoid Percy's eyes, but Percy only moved closer. Trying to sound indifferent, he looked out at the water as he spoke, "You've never had a boyfriend before, have you?"

"I have too!" She protested weakly.

Percy just grinned, "I can see why you're so popular."

"I have. Don't believe me if you don't want."

"For real?"

"And you call me thick. Yes, for real."

"Have you kissed a guy before?"

"What type of question is that? I've had boyfriends before. Fine then, how many have you dated?"

"Girls are a hassle to handle."

"That's a lie. You scream playboy."

"It's the truth."

"You've never liked anyone?"

Percy turned to face Annabeth till they were face to face, coming closer by the second, "Annabeth…"

"Yeah?" Annabeth said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Mind your own business."

"Hmph! Where are Thalia and Nico?"

"I think your Thalia likes Nico. She actually wanted to listen to a drum solo he'd composed. She must be out of his mind. No one volunteers to listen to Nico's drum solos. They're back in the boat."

"We should head back. It's getting dark out," Annabeth noted as the sun began to set.

There wasn't much conversation at dinner that night as each person sat in their own corner while eating the Mac and Cheese Annabeth prepared.

"You bring me here to make me cook," she grumbled.

"Of course. What else are slaves for?"

"I should have known."

"Hey Annabeth," Nico began, "Want to hear my drum solo?"

Percy, from behind Nico, began to vigorously shake his head, indicating that she'd regret it later if she chose to stay.

"It's fine Nico. I'm actually a little tired after this afternoon. I should go to bed."

"Alright, see you for skydiving tomorrow!" He replied cheerfully. Thalia seemed relieved, as though she had wanted some alone time with Nico.

"Skydiving?!" Annabeth yelped. She was deathly afraid of heights, but now…

"Didn't Percy tell you?" Thalia asked with concern.

"No…"

"It'll be fun, especially in the morning with the fog."

"Uh-huh."

Percy just sat quietly at one of the bar stools located in the boat kitchen, silently judging her reaction during the entire conversation.

_**Next Morning—**_

Thalia insisted on going first with the skydiving since they had missed out on waterskiing the day before. Annabeth was completely fine with the proposition after the incident. Being Thalia, she was completely relaxed as she put on her straps, getting ready to jump. **(A/N: I know Thalia and Percy are afraid of heights, but for the sake of the story, we will be switching roles so that Annabeth is afraid instead.)** Fearlessly, she jumped from the end of the platform, the cord holding her secure. The mere thought of jumping made Annabeth squeamish. Nico too easily followed suit.

Percy waited for Annabeth to go first, insisting that he'd be the last one down.

"No, you go ahead."

"No, you go."

"I said you go!"

"You go."

"Hey man, stop holding up the line," a fat man with a bald head shouted as he looked on to their shouting match. "Get on with it."

"Man, you shut up. We'll go when we want."

"Then, can my girlfriend and I go?"

"Hell no. I am not going to the end of the line. Just chill."

"Percy?" Annabeth began feeling dizzy. "Percy?"

"What Annabeth?" Percy spun around to find Annabeth dangerously close to the edge of the platform. He rushed forward to steady her as she wrapped her arms around his chest with her eyes shut closed.

The instructor said they had a two person skydiving package. Taking up the offer immediately, Percy harnessed the belts around the two, making sure they weren't choking her. Her blond curls had fallen in front of her face, covering up her eyes.

"It'll be ok," Percy said soothingly, awkwardly patting her head.

Once the man had strapped everything up, he gave the two the go signal. Percy jumped, his arms finding their way around her waist. Pulling her up closer to his chest, he kissed the top of her head, while closing his eyes and sighing in content.

**Percabeth. :-) Anyway, read, review, fave, and follow. Those are much appreciated. Once again, I'll try to update soon.**

**This was the longest chapter yet, 10 pages. If only I wrote this much for my term papers. **

**Virtual cheesecake to all if we get over a 100 reviews.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Virtual cheesecake for all. This story passed a 100 reviews. Anyway, that's all I got. **

Annabeth wouldn't look Percy in the eye after this morning's incident. Thalia, on the other hand, was chattering away incessantly with Nico, both of whom seemed oblivious to the other pair.

Once they had reached the bottom, Annabeth could barely stop her hands from shaking as she undid the straps around her. Her heart almost froze when Percy's hand brushed hers off while undoing both of their straps and buckles with a more steady hand, simply saying, "We should probably head back home soon."

Having dropped off Thalia and Nico off at their respective houses, Percy parked the car in front of Annabeth's apartment complex. After saying a thank you, Annabeth got out of the car mutely, grabbed her luggage, and proceeded to unpack when she reached her room. She looked out the window and into Percy's room as she started up her laptop. There were no signs of him having entered the room after dropping her off.

With nothing else to do for the remainder of the day, Annabeth considered working on the SAT which was the following weekend. In the end, she found herself in bed just blankly staring up at the ceiling, wondering what had happened. Just three days ago, he was the first-class jerk. And then Friday came along. Why did he take her to a 5 star restaurant, followed by a private boat trip? Annabeth was confused to say the least.

And then the kiss. How was she going to explain that? The first one was for CPR, but the skydiving one? There was no reason. He hated her, didn't he? She got on his nerves. She was his slave for gods' sake.

As she was going through the weekend's events, the sound of an unlocking door came. Annabeth shot up in her bed. No one else had the key, and her parents weren't supposed to be back by Wednesday at the earliest.

"Honey, we're home!"

"Mom?" Annabeth yelled in surprise. She got out of the bed to rush to the door. There were her parents, her father looking disgruntled and her mother looking disappointed. "Mom, why are you two back so early?"

Annabeth's father answered the question, his displeasure clear in his tone, "Apparently your mother is afraid of the ocean. Isn't that right, Athena dear?"

Mrs. Chase frowned at her husband's sarcastic tone, "I forgot all about the possible seasickness. We boarded the ship. Even before it started moving, the ocean liner rocked. I knew then and there that I couldn't spend 5 whole nights on that damned thing. Be glad that I didn't chicken out after the ship started moving!" Mrs. Chase glared pointedly at her husband.

"Remind me to never go anywhere with you again," Mr. Chase grumbled.

"Annabeth dear, how was your weekend? We are so sorry that we left you!"

"It's ok Mom. I chilled with Thalia. Percy came over for tutoring," Annabeth wasn't exactly lying, she just omitted some major parts to her weekend.

Mrs. Chase nodded eagerly, "I'm glad you had some fun while we're out. But anyway, I want to treat you to a special dinner for studying so hard. Wash up. I'll make you some Mediterranean cuisine tonight."

Annabeth felt guilty for lying, but there was no way she'd be able to tell the truth. None at all.

_**Percy's Apartment—**_

Percy didn't go home directly after dropping Annabeth off. He aimlessly wandered around his car, unable to comprehend his own feelings for the girl. Just two days ago, he had told Nico there was no way he was going to fall for this girl, let alone his slave. And that very day, he had taken her out for diner. His excuse to her had been a lie. In fact, he wouldn't have minded at all if they had just sat in her room that night during more SAT practice. To hype things up further, he had boldly suggested a weekend trip to which she had agreed. That part had surprised him the most. She had clearly said she hated his arrogance and personality but here she was willing to go.

Annabeth hadn't said much after the kiss, but then again, it was on the head. Maybe she hadn't noticed. That must have been it. She couldn't have possibly noticed. Her face was dead white from the fall that the kiss could have easily been a rush of wind against her blond hair.

But then again, she hadn't said anything once they were driving back. Was it because Thalia and Nico were in the car? That couldn't be it either considering that they had plenty of time to talk after the two were dropped off. Was she tired…mad at him for forcing her to do things she couldn't? Whatever the reason was, Percy couldn't imagine why. His thoughts led him to drive around for the good part of the evening.

Once he got back home, he immediately turned on his Mac to upload the pictures he had taken. He knew this would most likely label him as a stalker, but he had taken pictures of Annabeth when she wasn't looking. Nothing perverted of course, but those rare Kodak moments: Annabeth smiling in the sun with the ocean behind her and her hair flying, Annabeth lying on the beach with her sunglasses on… The list continued. There was one picture of them together. He guessed courtesy of Nico, one where he and Annabeth were face to face. That must have been the part where he told her to mind her own business. But, without context, it looked like they were about to kiss. He smiled at the thought, continuing to look at the picture when his cellphone beeped once, the text reading:

_Thank you Master!_

And in those two simple words, she had said everything. Percy's green eyes sparkled in amusement as he chuckled once.

The next morning, by 9, Percy had already gotten up, showered, and in his car. While waiting at a stoplight, he saw an ad on the side of the bus, advertising Tiffany & Co. The ad reminded of him something, something he had nearly forgotten about. Knowing fully well that Annabeth was on break, he called her, "Are you still sleeping?"

"I am not."

"Yes, you clearly are."

"I am not!"

"Whatever, you know what day today is right?

"Yes…?"

"You don't seem to sure."

"I do remember," Annabeth had no idea what he was talking about, but she wasn't going to let him know that.

"Well, since you do remember. You should know it's a big occasion. I emailed your mom about it already. Meet me at Tanoreen at 7 PM sharp today. You know where the restaurant is, right?"

"What? Why?" Was it his birthday or something? Annabeth was still clueless.

"Oh, and also. Put some make-up on. Don't come out looking you normally do. This restaurant is even more of a stickler for fanciness than the last one."

"But…"

"See you there." With that, he hung up on her.

Annabeth just sat there, dumbfounded, didn't he just take her to a restaurant? Just how special is today? Why did she need to put on make-up? And how was she going to get there? Couldn't he have given her a ride?

As for her mother, she didn't even know where to start with her. Who would let their child do these things without ever having consulted her first? Her mom knew everything about her life before she did herself.

Sighing in despair, Annabeth began ransacking her closet for possible outfits to where. Yet, nothing screamed the posh Percy was expecting. Just as she was about to kick the closet in frustration, her mother came in knocking with a large box, labeled Louis Vuitton.

"Mom, what is this?"

"I just found this parcel outside the door. It's addressed to you. Open it quickly Annabeth. I want to see it. It says Louis Vuitton!" her mother uncharacteristically gushed at the thought of what may be inside.

Annabeth reluctantly opened it, only to gasp in shock. There was a light blue evening gown with a silver sash hugging the waist. The sash was filled with precious gemstones. The bottom half was slightly puffy with some matching lace to decorate it.

"It's gorgeous!" Mrs. Chase almost swooned at the sight of the dress. "I have no idea why Mr. Jackson insists on doing this, but really, that man. An NYU student as well."

"Did he say why?"

"He said you'd know."

"He really didn't say anything else?"

"No…"

"Fine… I should probably get changed soon," Annabeth glanced at the clock, noticing the time was already 4. As she picked up the dress, a note fell. Written in Percy's elegant handwriting…and stationery…the note read: _I figured you have nothing better to wear, and since I don't need you to embarrass me, I took the trouble of sending you this. Would have done the same with the rest, but where's the fun in that? Plus, I have no idea how make-up works. _

Annabeth snorted in disbelief. Of course. As for her dress side, she had no idea how he knew, but he must have had good judgment. The dress fit snuggly, accentuating the curves of the top half of the body. Slipping on a set of gray earrings to match the dress, Annabeth proceeded to the forbidden make-up section of her room. Having used this area only on occasion, she felt more conscious than usual when applying it.

She had just enough time to hail a cab when she was done, directing the man to Tanoreen. The cab driver grunted once before starting the engine again. Traffic was as traffic in New York is. Cars all waiting behind one another, drivers honking and swearing at the person in front. Even Annabeth's cab driver starting to lose patience. She watched carefully as her clock ticked: quarter to 7, ten to 7, five to 7, and finally 7.

"Excuse me," Annabeth asked the man hesitantly.

"What do you want girl?"

"Do you know how long it'll take?"

"It'll take me as damn long as it'll till this traffic clears up. How the hell am I supposed to be predictin' all this stuff?"

"I'm sorry…" Annabeth stunned into silence by the man's impatient reply, deciding she would best be off without saying anything.

Eventually, by the time she had reached the restaurant, it was nearly 7:30. Rushing in, one of the waiters escorted her to the Jackson party. Party? So she wasn't the only one then? It must be a birthday party or something.

Annabeth felt a pang of excitement when she found Thalia wave to her eagerly. Beside her sat Nico while Percy was facing the other direction. Even though Annabeth couldn't see his face yet, she already began to blush at the thought. She hurried over as fast as her heels would allow her to.

"You're late," an irritated voice spoke up. Annabeth had just hugged Thalia to turn around and face Percy. And true to her initial reaction, he was dressed like a billionaire's son. His hair for once slicked back, not covering an eye like normal. Seeing both of his sea green eyes with clarity almost made Annabeth want to melt in them endlessly.

"There was traffic," Annabeth managed.

"Don't worry about Perce," Nico piped up. "He's just giving you a hard time. Sit down. Now that our guest of honor is here, shouldn't we start?"

Annabeth took the open seat next to Percy as he glared at her pointedly, "Of course you'd be late to your own party."

"My party?" Annabeth squeaked.

"What'd you think it was?"

"Your birthday."

Percy gave her a long, hard sneer, "Did I ever say that?"

"No."

There was a long silence in between them as the waiters came out with the preordered food. The occasional banter that they had had yesterday was picked up again as the boys conversed freely with Thalia. Annabeth, on the other hand, was content with eating whatever was served in front of her. Percy watched her curiously as she stuffed her mouth.

"Today is the 100th day," He said nonchalantly, judging her reaction.

"What?"

"Remember, your hundred days of service?" Percy tossed her a thick document which he had kept by his side. "Recall this?"

"Oh."

Percy continued, "You've been a good slave." He gave her a warm smile, showing her all his teeth once more.

"Has it already been that long?"

"Why, do you want it to be longer?" he winked smugly.

"No, it's good to be free."

He snatched the contract back, tearing it in half over and over again. Annabeth's face was one of bittersweet emotion. She put on a smile as she Percy looked at her, not wanting to show him the slight disappointment she felt.

Percy said nothing else of the subject, dropping it before moving on to something else. Once the boys had finished talking, Nico was eager to drive Thalia home.

"My dad will kill you," Thalia warned him.

"Nah, no way."

"You're a good for nothing drummer. There's no way he'd like you."

"Just watch him like me," With that Nico took Thalia's hand and began walking out of the restaurant.

Percy cleared his throat as Annabeth watched the receding figures, "I'll take you home then."

By this time, it was past 10 PM and all the NY rush hour traffic had cleared up just enough for them to return quickly.

Annabeth got out of the Maserati, and about to go back to her room, when Percy called, "Annabeth."

She turned around to face him, a bit astound to see him slightly abashed. His cheeks were a little red. She couldn't tell whether it was from the cold or something else.

"Yeah?"

"Goodnight."

Annabeth couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed by his response. She just stood there, staring right into his eye, "I'll be going then."

She turned around to leave when he grabbed a hold of her hand quickly, preventing her from going any further. Before she could register the shock, he pulled her in until they were millimeters apart. She could barely see the smirk on his face as he leaned in. His hands came up on either side of her face, crushing her blond curls. Bringing his mouth down to her level, he kissed her.

The shock hit Annabeth in a wave as she finally understood what was going on. Before she could control herself, she pushed him away, causing him to almost stumble. With a glare at him, she ran back to her building, not knowing that her mother had seen the scene at all.

**Like it? Review, fave, follow maybe? What should the incentive be this time? How about virtual ice cream? Anyway, classes start on Monday. I'll update once or twice before then.**

**I don't think there are too many chapters remaining in this story. Maybe 3 or 4 at most. These chapters have gradually become longer than I anticipated. **

**Anyway, make sure to review. **


	10. Chapter 10

**As promised, virtual ice cream. :-)**

Percy smirked at Annabeth's receding figure. She was probably just surprised that he had kissed her. There's no way that she'd actually rejected him. He looked on with amusement as she walked off, her heels making hard, loud clops as they hit the concrete with every step. Percy turned around to leave when he remembered something. Slipping his hand into his coat pocket, he withdrew a small, light blue colored jewelry box labeled Tiffany & Co. After removing the lid, he pulled it up by the silver clasp. Percy brought the pendant up to his eye level, a momentary glint in the diamond catching his eye. He smirked once again before pocketing it, heading back to his own room.

Annabeth, trying to keep a cool head while walking away from Percy, broke into a sprint up the stairs till she was safely in her own room. Closing the door behind her, she just stood there with her heart thumping loudly and a hand on her chest. She then raised her hand so that it was brushing past her lips, as if to check if what had happened was real. At this point, her heart beat even further as though it were racing in the Olympics; Annabeth could almost feel it threaten to burst out of her chest.

Rushing to the bathroom, she brushed her teeth vigorously; even using mouthwash till the sensation was completely gone from her mouth. Grasping the edge of the sink, she looked at herself in the mirror, unable to even recognize the face peering back at her. She look exhausted, the lipstick slightly smeared, and the mascara starting to run a little.

Turning on the shower, the familiar sounds of the water rushing helped her collect her thoughts. He had no right to do that without her permission. Who was he to get so familiar with her? He had enslaved her…and then tutored her. Sure their relationship was complex, but she didn't think it was so complex as to throw in some romance too.

After a quick change in to her gray flannel pajamas, Annabeth sat in bed, facing the window; she saw the lights turn off in his room and took that as a cue to sleep as well.

_**Next Day while Annabeth is at School—**_

Percy stood nervously in front of the Chase apartment. Mrs. Chase had sent him an email last night saying that she wanted to see him at 10 AM sharp the next day. Percy really wanted to make an excuse saying that he had classes, but hell. He had never cared about school before. Annabeth didn't tell her mom or anything, right? Besides, if she had kept the trip a secret, there was no way that she'd let a little kiss get in the way and bother her enough to tell her mom.

Athena Chase opened the door slowly, showing Percy her stern visage and marked frown. Her mouth was a pencil thin line, and her forehead was crinkled. All in all, she resembled a hard-boiled egg with the pasty face. He black hair had been rolled up into a bun, only causing Percy to fear her more with her semblance to an old teacher of his, Mrs. Dodds. Had it not been for this striking resemblance, Percy would have found himself laughing uncontrollably.

"Come in," she said with a clipped voice.

Percy adjusted his fake pair of glasses once, trying to give himself a more earnest look as she led him to the living room.

"Have a seat, young man. I have things to discuss with you," Gesturing towards a hard-backed wooden chair in the middle of the room, she herself when to the luxurious cream colored sofa on the opposing side.

Taking a seat on the chair, Percy felt as though he were a part of the Spanish inquisition as she continued to scowl in his direction.

"Where to begin?" She wondered out loud.

"Ma'am…"

"That's right. Just who do you think you are?" Athena Chase stressed the word who, wondering whether the boy had been his right mind last night. Perhaps he had been drunk? Teenagers these days…

"Just because you're good-looking and go to NYU, what gives you the right to play with my daughter's affections?"

Other accusations aside, Percy was not a player, despite what others thought of him. There was no way he was going to let that go. Looking Mrs. Chase straight in the eye, he said, "I was not toying with her."

"Then, how do you expect me to believe that when you kissed her in public?" She gave a long, hard glare as he seemed unabashed by what he had just said.

"I'm sorry," Percy began, not sounding sorry at all. "But I…"

"Quiet!" the lady snapped. "Do you have no shame? I could call the authorities and call it sexual harassment. "

"I…"

"I said quiet!" she said with a deadly cold tone. She stood up till it looked she was almost towering over from his vantage point. "Because I respect you for you've done for my daughter, I will let you go. If I ever see you around her again, you will regret it."

Nodding imperceptibly, Percy acquiesced with Mrs. Chase's demands, "As you wish."

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**And Athena strikes...**

**I know, I know… Short chapter, but it sets the stage for the rest of the story. I'll try to update Sunday, if not, next Friday… or sometime in between. That is if I don't get caught up in the current drama I'm watching. And not to mention exams.**

**Anyone catch **_**The Princess Bride **_**reference? **

**Lastly, since this story is coming to an end in 3-4 chapters, I'm starting to think of new stories. I know that I should probably be original and come up with my own, but that takes too much time. I only time for that during the summer, so till then, vote on these…based on kdramas (All of them are AU and OoC potentially):**

_**Playful Kiss**_**: Annabeth Chase has had a crush on Percy Jackson since freshman year in high school, but he's never returned anything, not knowing she even exists. She's been at the bottom of the class while he aces at everything. When an unfortunate incident causes them to live in the same house, will Annabeth be able to change the cold, indifferent heart of the school heartthrob?**

_**Heartstrings**_**: Annabeth is a traditional music major while Percy is more contemporary. Harp versus guitar. Both defend their own values, causing them to clash more than others. But after seeing each other play, one falls for the other in a one-sided love. Will the other be able to realize it and fall for it before it's too late?**

**I really want to take a spin on a more crime/adventure/mystery based genre, but tell me what you think.**

**So, review, fave, and follow. **


	11. Chapter 11

**So, I counted up the votes. We had 12 for Playful Kiss and 3 for Heartstrings. If I do consider doing Playful Kiss, you'll have to be patient with me. I will most likely not upload the story till June, once summer starts and classes get done. So that you get a chance to read it as soon as it comes out; make sure to follow me on here. **

**That being said, once I finish this story, I don't plan to write till summer starts.**

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_**After School—**_

Annabeth rushed home straight after school, eager to see Percy once more. Percy normally arrived a half hour after she herself returned. Giving herself an extra thirty minutes today, she had a whole hour to make herself presentable before he arrived.

After freshening up a bit in the bathroom, applying a little mascara to her eyelashes, she hopped back into the seat to face the computer. She put on a semblance of focusing on the online practice as she heard the knock on the door.

"Come in," she responded, almost in a state of ecstasy.

Turning around her chair, Annabeth's shock was shown clearly on her face. Instead of the handsome green eyed man she had been hoping for, here stood an older girl in his place. The girl seemed to be the same age as Percy with thin, long wiry body frame than matched her thin wiry glass frames. The lanky brown hair was draped in a curtain around her head, making her resemble an overgrown mushroom. To add to it, her voice was just as squeak as one would imagine a mushroom's to be, "Hi Annabeth!"

Ignoring the girl completely, Annabeth confronted her mother, "Who is she?"

"Annabeth," Athena Chase began sternly, "Say hello to your new tutor."

"What happened to Per—Mr. Jackson?"

"Mr. Jackson will no longer be your tutor. He resigned due to personal reasons," With that, Mrs. Chase strode to the window where she promptly closed the blinds shut till the sole light in the room was from the overhead light fixtures. Giving Annabeth a pained smile, she said, "Just so you don't get distracted while studying."

The new tutor stood at the door patiently, readjusting her shoulder bag as mother and daughter held a silent glaring contest. Knowing that arguing with her mother was not going to get either of them anywhere, Annabeth succumbed under her mother's final warning look before facing the other girl. She stuck her hand out, almost as if in an obligatory manner, "Annabeth Chase. Pleased to meet you."

"Pleasure's mine. I'm Samantha Johnson," the girl returned.

"Alright then Samantha. I'll leave Annabeth to you. She shouldn't be too much trouble," Athena chuckled, but still managed to give Annabeth one long, pointed look before leaving the two girls to do their own.

Annabeth took a seat on the floor as Samantha followed suit, pulling out copious amounts of books from her messenger back. How she had managed to fit all those books in the bag without it bursting was beyond Annabeth's understanding. It was as if the girl was Hermione Granger herself with the bottomless bag. As she watched the older girl sitting across from her flip through earmarked pages of the voluminous textbooks, Annabeth was brought back to memories of Percy doing the same thing.

_There had been the one time where she was completely lost in his words when he had begun speaking. With a pencil tucked in his ear and his glasses still on him, Percy would occasionally readjust the falling frames by pushing them up with his pointer finger. Annabeth had found this gesture endearing to her. She hadn't really expected the Percy Jackson to have this nerdy side to him. She had always seen him meticulously well dressed and properly shaven, but that one time, he looked like he had just gotten out of bed and come straight to her house._

_She had then asked, "Percy, what's up with the glasses? You can cut the act."_

_Percy was still flipping through the book when he paused, "What act? I need glasses. I've been wearing contacts all these times."_

"_No way!"_

"_Why not?"_

"_You look so geeky!"_

"_I prefer the term hipster."_

"_Those don't look like hipster glasses…"_

"_So what?"_

"_Never mind. Then, what about the morning shadow on your face? And is that ducky t-shirt I see?"_

"_Cut me some slack. I seriously just threw on the first pair of clothes I found before getting over here. I didn't have time to shave."_

"_That eager to see me?" she had teased incessantly. _

"_If that's what makes you sleep well at night," he retorted, a slight smirk playing up. _

"_Shut up!"Annabeth had replied, whacking him with the nearest pillow. Percy had only pulled her in closer till his breath tickled her neck. She could see his ever changing green orbs peer back at her from behind the lens; he leaned in closer…_

"Annabeth?!"

"What!"

Samantha looked at Annabeth curiously, "Were you listening to what I said?"

"Excuse me?"

The older girl just sighed, "I thought you were listening. You were nodding your head and everything. Anyway, I said that since you're dyslexic, the SAT does have special circumstances where they give extra time allotment. If you need it, you should contact them before the deadline."

"No, no. It's fine. I've tuned myself to the time. I should be good for now."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

An hour later, Annabeth found herself looking at the curtained window once more. Samantha seemed to not have noticed Annabeth's peculiarities, taking it for her normal behavior. Assuming Annabeth was tired, Samantha gathered her belongings to stuff then back in the bag, "I'll see you tomorrow, Annabeth!"

Annabeth absently nodded her head, not taking her eyes off the window even when the girl said goodbye. She put her head in the SAT book despondently when she realized that she wasn't going to achieve any understanding of the concepts from just staring at them blankly.

Finally giving up, she dialed Percy's number on her phone. Sitting on her bed, Annabeth waited anxiously while biting her nails, hoping the receiver at the other end would pick up. The dial tone rang out, "The user whose number who you have just dialed is currently unreachable. Please call again or leave a message after the beep."

Trying once more and with no such luck, Annabeth tossed the phone on the carpet before laying down face first on the bed.

_**Next Morning—**_

Annabeth waited in between the two apartment complexes, hoping to catch even a small glimpse of him. She glanced down quickly at her watch and realized that she still had a good thirty minutes before school started. Knowing that the drive there shouldn't take more than fifteen minutes, she took a step towards Percy's apartment building.

She had gone up to his front door before she had even realized her legs had carried her that far. Annabeth knocked over and over again. The time on her clock was beginning to tick at a speedy pace. Finally giving up, with her back to the wall, she slid down till she was sitting with her arms hugging her knees tight to her chest.

Annabeth resolved to stay there another five minutes before going to class. Just as she had made her resolve, the door opened to reveal the very man she had been hoping to see since last night.

Wordlessly, he walked past her, waiting for the elevator to go down. Annabeth had never seen him so cold…nor so hot at the same time.

"Percy?" she called.

He didn't reply, not even bothering to look to her.

"Percy!" she yelled a little a louder, "What's wrong?"

He turned around to face her. Percy's face scared Annabeth more than she was prepared for. The look on his face was a complete poker face, not showing any of the emotions from the last time they had seen each other: the kiss.

"I tried to contact you. Didn't you get my calls? Did you think it was Nico calling you instead?" she attempted to lighten the mood by adding a little joke to the end.

"Nothing's wrong," he said, opening his mouth for the first time. "Can't you study without me?"

She flinched at the cold, steely tone with which he addressed her, even able to hear the venomous undertone.

"I wasn't really teaching you anyway. You just stared at me like every other love-struck high school girl out there."

Annabeth was more than taken aback by the response. Love-struck high school girl? She wouldn't have any of it, "Who kissed whom?"

"It was a momentary lapse of judgment. Trust me. It will never happen again since I won't be seeing you."

"Trust me? You expect me to trust you?" Annabeth had seen Percy being a jerk before. She had assumed he was a woman's man, handling them like toys and throwing them away, but she had never expected she'd be a victim of it either. After all, he had said she was the first one.

"Kid, just go to school. I have stuff to do without you bothering me."

"Kid?! Percy Jackson! You ass—"

"Annabeth, do me a favor and never talk to me again. I despise the sight of your face in front of me. You're no longer my slave either. So, now that we have no association with one another, just leave. Wake up kid. Maybe you don't understand the situation, but you were right. I am just like any of the other players. You were just a toy while it lasted. Now go play with your friends." With that final word, Percy turned around to leave Annabeth to her own emotions.

Needless to say, his own heart was crushed as though a compressor had reduced it to the size of the Grinch's heart. He had never intended to break Annabeth like that. It almost physically pained him to speak the harsh words he had uttered, but he had to remain stone faced. But all the anger he had felt towards Athena Chase, he had directed singularly towards Annabeth. The encounter with her mother had left him emotional pain, but seeing Annabeth trying to plead with him only further increased it, leading to near physical pain. Taking out the pendant still in his pocket, he began fingering it, dangling it in front of his eyes once more.

If only… If only he had had the chance…and the courage to give it to her before the kiss. Maybe something could have changed.

* * *

**So, I already told you about Playful Kiss and when I plan on writing that. I know they were kind of OoC in this chapter. But anyway, I won't make any promises about when I'll update next cause I'm not entire sure.**

**But, more reviews, faves, follows offer more incentive. So make sure to leave a review if you read. Really doesn't take that much time. And, if you enjoy reading a story, let the author know. And if you don't enjoy the story, let the author know kindly. **


	12. Chapter 12

**To Princess Annabeth Weasley Fowl: Chapter sizes aren't just something that can be made longer and shorter. It needs to have a proper ending place, so I apologize for the last one.**

**To make up for that, quicker update. **

**If you like Harry Potter, check out my oneshot about Sirius's flying motorcycle that I posted today. Review and fave. :-)**

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_**That Afternoon—**_

The remainder of the school day after the encounter with Percy went by in a blur for Annabeth. She soon found herself walking back home, her thoughts elsewhere. In the back of her mind, she could hear Juniper and Thalia call her. Choosing to ignore them, she walked fast paced in the opposing direction.

Samantha was already in her room by the time Annabeth got back home. Rather irritated with Samantha's easy access in and out of the house, Annabeth replied snappishly to the other girl's welcoming hello.

After setting her backpack aside, Annabeth took a seat opposite Samantha, waiting for the older girl to start. Samantha just shook her head in sad pity.

"What?" Annabeth demanded, almost defensively.

"Have you seen your face lately?"

"And who are you to judge me? I just met you yesterday, and you're my tutor. So, don't pretend like you know what's going on."

Samantha threw her hands up by her side, "Never said I knew what you were going through. I just want to see you focus. These scores are important if you want to get into the college of your choice. I'm sure you'd agree that at current there's nothing more important than that."

Annabeth opened her mouth to argue but then just clamped it shut. Samantha rose a valid point. She did want to be an architect and no mediocre score would suffice to get into her top choice school.

Giving herself a satisfied smile, Samantha gestured to the next exercise in the book, waiting for Annabeth to proceed with it. Although she held it in well the first half hour, she was getting tired with Annabeth's pitiful behavior. She was beginning to make silly errors in the simplest of addition problems in the math section. Correcting the reading passages was a nightmare. It was as if she hadn't even bothered to read the paragraph before answering the corresponding multiple choice questions. To state it simply, Annabeth was in the least bit focused.

Deciding it was futile to teach Annabeth any longer for the rest of the day, Samantha excused herself early, asking Annabeth to relax. Annabeth nodded absently.

Just as Samantha left, the phone rang; the caller id read Thalia's number. Annabeth, having nothing better to do, decided to pick it up for once.

"Annabeth!"

"What Thals?"

"Meet me at DQ. Juniper and I'll be there in 15. You better be there."

"But Thalia…"

"No buts, Annie. Just be there."

"Don't call me that," Annabeth grumbled.

She might as well go; Samantha did tell her to relax after all. Twenty minutes later, Annabeth was at the entrance of DQ, debating whether or not to enter the ice cream shop. After much thinking and standing in front of the door, the curious glances of other customers forced her to make a quick decision. She found Thalia and Juniper already there with their orders in front of them. Juniper was eagerly digging into her chocolate chip mint ice cream while Thalia sat with her arms crossed, wearing a disapproving look on her face. She glanced pointedly at the clock.

Muttering a quick apology, Annabeth slid into the open space near Juniper, trying to avoid Thalia's unceasing glare.

Juniper turned to face Annabeth, a smudge of ice cream still on her mouth, "Well? Fill us in. What's been happening with that Percy guy?"

Annabeth was reluctant, but she knew the longer she delayed the inevitable, it was just going to become worse. She gave Thalia and Juniper the watered the account of what had happened, completely glossing over the kissing.

"Annabeth, get over him. He's a jerk that enslaved you," Thalia rolled her eyes.

"How could you say that, Thals? You were there when we went to the beach. You seemed to enjoy yourself and didn't mind taking advantage of his hospitality then. He wasn't like he was before."

"And now he's back to what he was before," Thalia retorted.

"He's changed," Annabeth argued back.

"For the worse," Thalia countered. Juniper just looked on with pity and concern at Annabeth, not getting a chance to insert her own opinion in between the volley of words.

"Why do you want to make him out to be the bad guy?"

"Why the hell are you supporting him? You heard him. He said you were a kid, just another toy. He said it himself that he was a womanizer. You're just another girl to him."

"I don't believe him."

"Annabeth, you're really stubborn, aren't you? Get it in your head. He doesn't want you. Accept it. Get over him and return back to how you were."

"Some friend you are, Thalia!" Annabeth humphed.

"I don't know what happened to the sensible Annabeth I knew. She better come back soon. I'm sick of this lovesick, pathetic girl in front of me," Thalia crossed her legs, looking to the side while addressing Annabeth.

"Annabeth, you should eat something," Juniper implored, finally getting a word in. "Have you even eaten since what happened?"

Annabeth didn't respond, instead, picked up her handbag off the floor and stood up. "I'll be leaving now. I can see that it was a mistake coming here," she said coldly, directing it at Thalia.

The time had flown by faster than she had anticipated. Glancing at her watch, she learned the time to be 8:15 PM already. Hitching the bag higher on her shoulder, she concentrated intently on the sidewalk as she continued back home.

The cool chill of the summer air was causing her to shiver, making her wish that she had brought her jacket and worn pants instead. The wind ruffled the edges of her skirt; Annabeth had to put her hands over it to keep it from flying up to high. With her head held down, she tried to ignore the creepy feeling that seemed to surround her.

Noticing a group of spiders around her, she let out a little yelp. She was deadly afraid of spiders and couldn't sight of one, let alone dozens. The mere thought of them gave her the sensation of spiders crawling up her bare arms. With the paranoia, she let out a shudder, trying to brush away the sensation from her arms.

Annabeth heard low, taunting chuckles coming from around her. In her fear of the spiders, she hadn't noticed the three burly looking men who had approached her. In the darkness, she could make out their outlines, thanks to the streetlamps. As they approached closer and closer, her legs unfroze as she sprinted, panting heavily as they seemed to catch up.

"Where you going? Pretty girl?" One wolf whistled.

"Leave me alone!" She mumbled incoherently.

"What's a girl like you doing alone at this time of night?" Another took up the call.

"That's right," the last one cat called. "Let us escort you home safely. We wouldn't want to see that pretty face of yours get hurt." He smiled brightly, showing his rather tobacco stained pointed teeth. There was a single gold tooth on the lift, glinting by reflecting the streetlamp.

Before she could run further, she was surrounded at all sides, each of the men taking a point. They stepped closer and closer till Annabeth could smell the reek of alcohol emanating from their filthy clothes.

"I know karate and taekwondo. It won't do you any good to attack me," she stuttered.

"Oh, a feisty one. Did you hear that boys? She knows karate and taekwondo. I'm so scared," The one with the gold tooth drawled. He was the leader of the group. That much was apparent to Annabeth.

He took a step in, allowing Annabeth to see his scar pocked face, deep cuts and incisures across his cheeks. The healing pink skin still looked raw from a recent fight. The man put his hand under Annabeth's chin, forcing her head up at him. He put one of his hands her back, pinning one of her arms to the side.

His breathing was low and shallow as he whispered into her ear, "Let's not struggle now, shall we?"

As he leaned it to take advantage of the close proximity of her mouth, Annabeth spat in his eye, momentarily causing him to loosen his grip. Annabeth took the chance to release herself from his grasp, punching his jaw with her other hand. The man staggered back, getting angrier by the second.

"Get away from me, idiot!" Annabeth spat. As she turned to make her escape, the man caught her arm, reeling her back in.

"Not so quick, Princess." His buddies just watched on with eager delight, their own sick minds waiting impatiently for their own turn.

Struggling in his grasp, Annabeth bit down hard on her captor's arm. She spat immediately, getting rid of the bitter taste in the mouth. She knew she couldn't hold on by herself for much longer with the gang leader alone. The other two were closing in on her too.

Annabeth felt the firm grasp on her of two more sets of hands. Three attackers… As she struggled to free herself from one's grasp, she found herself in another's. Her energy was starting to waver having not eaten anything. The initial rush of adrenaline she had felt was wearing off. Annabeth felt herself slow down, but she managed to not panic, knowing that that would only feed her attackers more. One of them leaned down, grabbing a hold of her skirt. Annabeth kneed him in the face as he lowered himself down to get a look.

He was out cold, his nose already beginning to bleed. One down, only two more to go. The other gang member seemed slightly put off by his colleague's knockout, but took it as a challenge as he rushed towards Annabeth. Sidestepping him was easy, but the guy was like a bull, only focused on his target. As he neared once more, Annabeth stepped back…right into the chest of her first captor.

"Looks like you're coming running back to me, sweetheart."

Annabeth let out a scream as the other man made a grab for neck. He faltered though. His eyes almost bulged out of their sockets, and his arms went towards his neck, trying to pry something off. His breathing came unevenly as he clutched his neck in an awkward position. Had Annabeth not known better, she would have assumed that he was choking himself, but a low, hoarse whisper came from the man behind him, "Get out of here."

Annabeth's first captor was merely standing there in shock, shaken back to his senses upon hearing the mysterious man speak. He grabbed Annabeth tighter as she fought back, trying to kick him while her back was still facing him. Her savior seemed to have had enough with the goons. With a solid punch to the second in command, the man doubled over, gasping for breath.

Now, it was just her, her attacker, and her savior. "Let the girl go," the man growled.

"I saw her first. Get your own b*tch," her captor almost seemed childlike with his attitude.

"I told you to fu— let go of her," the mysterious man swore deeply under his breath.

"Then, come and get her."

"You asked for it," the mysterious man replied with such a chilling tone that Annabeth felt herself shudder once more.

Annabeth squinted as her savior's face was obstructed by the streetlight. She could see the strong jawline, but nothing more. The captor threw Annabeth to the ground, waiting for his opponent to come and attack. He was taunting him as the two encircled one another like two male lions of a pride, neither making the first move.

Annabeth knew it would be in her best interest to make a dash for it, but she couldn't just leave without thanking her savior. An irrational part in the back of her mind warned her against it. What if the savior was just as bad? Saving her for himself. Annabeth tossed aside that idea almost instantaneously.

She watched in horror as the two unknown men fought each other because of her. Her captor threw a punch at the man's face which the other skillfully dodged. The savior wasn't on the offensive, merely avoiding all attack while watching the other man tire himself down. The first man's drunk stupor was beginning to hit him full on as he staggered uneasily.

The enigmatic man just watched patiently, waiting for his opponent's weakest moment. As the man began to come closer, her savior punched him full on in the jaw. Annabeth heard the rattle of the teeth even from the distance she was at. To secure the defeat, her savior kicked him in the chest for good measure. The captor fell face first with a deafening thud on the concrete. Her savior leaned down to the other man's face, and with a satisfied glance, he got up, dusted his jeans, and began walking away.

"Wait!" Annabeth called. The man paused midstride, not turning back to look at the woman he had just saved. Annabeth ran till she was standing right behind the man. Grabbing a hold of his thin t-shirt, she could see the taut muscles underneath, "Thank you."

Turning slightly to face her, just so that she could see half his face, the man nodded imperceptibly before prying her fingers off gently and walking away. Annabeth stood there, her fingers in the same position he had left them. From that side glance, she had noticed one thing. The startling green eyes. She only knew one person with emerald green eyes like that. _Percy._

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**This scene wasn't in the movie, but I thought I should add it anyway for the heck of it. Anyway, let me know what you thought. I know right? I was actually being original for once in my story and came up with the plot for this chapter myself. So, in honor to congratulate my momentary imagination, review. Virtual DQ Blizzards for those who review.**

**I'll try to update whenever possible.**


	13. Chapter 13

**I'm just on a roll with these updates, aren't I? Anyway, if anyone cares, I just watched **_**Zero Dark Thirty**_**. I highly recommend it; it was a great movie. Oh, and yeah, virtual DQ Blizzards to those who reviewed the last chapter.**

**For next update, most likely Wednesday. It'd be great if this story hit 200 reviews before I finish.**

**This chapter is short, but read the author's note at the bottom. It is vital to the continuation of the story.**

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_Turning slightly to face her, just so that she could see half his face, the man nodded imperceptibly before prying her fingers off gently and walking away. Annabeth stood there, her fingers in the same position he had left them. From that side glance, she had noticed one thing. The startling green eyes. She only knew one person with emerald green eyes like that. __**Percy.**_

Annabeth opened her mouth to call out to him once, but her voice was as though it were on mute. No sound came out as she attempted to speak. By the time she had unfrozen, he had disappeared into the darkness of the night.

She got home late that night, taking the long winded path back as opposed to cutting through the park. Annabeth ignored her mother's curiosity, not saying a word as she slammed the bedroom door behind her.

In a rote-like behavior, she got up the next morning, dressed up, ate breakfast, and wordlessly went to school. She steered clear of Thalia and Juniper after yesterday's encounter, preferring Silena's company over theirs.

Annabeth heard the silent whispers follow her as people pointed out to her in the hallways, gossiping with their friends. She knew she looked like a wreck. There was no doubt about it. She hadn't even looked in the mirror since last night. Her thoughts were occupied by the sole idea of a single a person, this person was Percy Jackson.

Don't get Annabeth wrong. She had never expected to fall in love with an arrogant man like him, but she had and there was no way out of it. What hurt her most was the way he acted. Even if he was harsh towards her, she could put up with it. But being completely ignored was not something Annabeth Chase could handle with grace.

She was going to get him to acknowledge her if that was the last thing to do. To a typical onlooker, Annabeth would have looked pitiful. Annabeth herself did feel pathetic, but there was no way she would allow Percy Jackson to get the worst of her.

With this determination, she walked home later that day. Annabeth stopped dead in her tracks. There were at least a half a dozen moving trucks stationed in between the two apartment buildings. Who needed so many vehicles, Annabeth had no clue. Although it didn't quite make sense to her, she assumed a whole slew of tenants were moving out. No single person could fit that much furniture in one apartment.

It was not until she saw _his_ car did she realize what was going on. The blue Maserati had its own special vehicle to transport it to its new location. Annabeth stared in disbelief at what was happening. Furniture handlers careful in loading the wooden pieces into the large trucks. It was utter chaos as people shouted to one another.

Annabeth stood there, on the verge of breaking down. She head steadied her nerves for this? She wanted a confrontation and here was her chance slipping away. Amidst the scene of chaos, she was unable to locate the owner of all these belongings.

Running to the nearest mover, she stopped the man in his tracks, demanding his attention to confirm her reasoning, "Excuse me sir, whose stuff is this?"

The man gave her a disdainful look before replying, "Move out of the way kid. I have stuff to do."

"But…"

"Kid, I said move."

"Whose is this?"

The man put down the chair he was carrying, sighing at Annabeth's obstinate behavior, "If you really want to know, it belongs to the son of the CEO of Atlantic Industries. Goes by the name of Percy Jackson. We were under strict instructions not to disclose information. Now, scram before you ask me where he's moving too. Kids these days." He shook his head in sore disappointment before picking up the chair to leave.

Son of the CEO of Atlantic Industries? Annabeth knew Percy was rich, but she didn't know just how rich. Sure he had a Maserati, a yacht, owned part of the shipping ports… The more she thought about it, the more Annabeth wanted to slap herself for being so stupid. The signs were clearly there. He had taken her out to all those expensive restaurants. He was a rich, spoiled, overgrown kid who could do whatever he wanted since his father was the CEO of the world's largest ocean shipping monopoly.

In fact, she even vaguely remembered him appearing in past editions of Forbes. As the sole heir to the corporation, he was being trained at a young age. So, that meant the man she had seen at Percy's apartment a few weeks ago was… Poseidon Jackson himself.

Annabeth felt a sudden rush of blood as her knees began to feel weak. She steadied herself against a lamp pole conveniently at her side. So, he had in fact been toying with her. Like all young celebrities, they thought they could do anything since they didn't need to work hard and achieve anything in life. His life, future was all handed to him on a silver platter.

The anger fueling her, Annabeth marched up to her apartment where her mother was patiently waiting.

"Annabeth," Athena Chase said as soon as her daughter entered the room.

"Yeah?"

"Go get the mail will you?"

"You couldn't have just texted me? I was just downstairs."

"Just do it please. I'm not in the mood to argue. I have a bad headache," Mrs. Chase rubbed her temples as if to prove her point.

"Fine," Annabeth replied in a disgruntled manner. Taking the key with her, she rushed back down. Opening the mailbox, she found a whole stack of bills, threatening to overflow. Flipping through them quickly, she paused halfway through the stack. There was a letter addressed to her.

Her hands trembling, Annabeth tore the envelope apart. She reached into the letter, withdrawing a small silver chain with a heart shaped diamond pendant hanging from it.

It was, to say the least, the most beautiful thing she had ever laid her eyes on. Turning the pendant to see the back, she read the inscription on the back: PJ & AC.

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**A/N: I know, I know… This was a super short chapter. But, before I continue, I want to ask your opinion on something. This is important for the remaining portion of the story.**

**So, if I based this completely off the movie, this story would end within the next 2 chapters. But, if I added to it with my own twist, it would be another 5 chapters. This means conflict…and a possible character introduction. I have both of these planned out; I just need your opinion. **

**Let me know which one: A nice, short, and sweet ending or a more complicated, longer but still Percabeth ending?**

**Anyway, let me know by reviewing. Let's try to hit 200. No matter the outcome of what you guys vote, I'll try to update on Wednesday.**


	14. Chapter 14

**I should have anticipated that most of you wanted the longer ending, so longer ending it is. Anyone else notice that I always write in the past tense? I just realized that, and it bothers me.**

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Annabeth simply stared at the necklace in her hand. Words could do it no justice, its facets causing it to emit rainbow-colored reflections from the sun on her hand. But it wasn't the beauty of the gem that enthralled her, but the inscription on the back: PJ & AC. A prolonged glance at the inscription stirred something in her chest; she could feel her heart beat faster, virtually trying to burst from the restraints of her body.

The dam inside her finally broke, enabling her to run, run faster than she ever had. She rushed to Percy's apartment. Although her legs were in a semi-solid state, she managed to proceed up the stairs, her hand constantly on the side support. As she neared his floor, Annabeth slowed down to savor the moment. Percy couldn't have left. It was impossible. He was just there yesterday, and after all, he had just sent her this. He had to still be there.

The door was closed, but not locked. She pushed forward gently, half expecting to see him in his arrogance and all with a cocky grin on his face. But the apartment was swept clean. There was not a single trace of anyone ever having lived there, not even a speck of dust. Entering the room cautiously, Annabeth walked till she was dead center of the room. The previously ornate walls now gone, the bare walls were shocking, jolting her back to the reality of the situation.

Going into his room, it was as though she could feel his presence near her. His ocean-like scent still lingered in the room, proving that there had indeed been a previous inhabitant. It was at that moment where she spotted a slip of paper, tucked near the edge leading to the balcony. Picking it up with her fingers, Annabeth opened the crinkled paper. No, not a paper, but an image. It was a photo of the two of them skydiving. Looking at it closely, Annabeth noted how she was nuzzled into Percy's chest, his arms around his waist. That was the first time she had seen him truly content, peaceful in a sense.

The mere thought of it brought her to the verge of tears. She didn't cry, but she was at the point where even the slightest thing could have made her cry. In a hallucinatory state almost, she envisioned him behind her, encircling his arms around her shoulders to pull her in for a hug. Annabeth turned around, the sensation vanishing just as she did so.

A new idea fueling her motivation, Annabeth left the apartment with one last glance, promising not to turn back till she achieved her goal. Samantha was already waiting for her when she returned.

"Samantha," she began timidly.

"Hmm?" The other girl replied.

"Help me get into NYU."

That was the final straw. If Percy Jackson moved away, she'd be the one to chase him down. She would get into NYU to prove his misconceptions wrong. She'd show him who Annabeth Chase was.

"What?"

"Help me get into NYU."

"How exactly do you want me to that?"

"You go to NYU, don't you?"

"Yeah."

"Well, then you should know the qualifications required. Please Samantha!"

"Can I ask why?"

"Just know it's important for me please."

"You do realize that the application is due in a week. People spend months preparing for this app. NYU isn't just any university. Besides I'm only your SAT tutor which you will be done with tomorrow."

"Samantha, I'm asking you as a friend. There's nothing wrong in me wanting to get into NYU."

"So, you want me to help you with the application process?" Samantha asked slowly, as if she thought Annabeth had lost her mind.

"Please."

"The likelihood they'll accept someone who applies late is unlikely."

"It's fine. If I didn't give it a shot, I'd feel worse. I will turn it in on time."

"Alright, then if you feel confident about the SAT tomorrow, we can get started on the app," Samantha logged onto the computer, pulling up NYU's architecture program application. "Ready?"

"I was born ready," Annabeth said, the confidence clear in her tone.

Filling out the application was, as expected, a tedious process involving long hours and extensive information. It wasn't bad just because she was applying later than most, which required extra information and essays regarding why they had applied late, but getting into the architecture school was an even bigger issue. The architecture school was no easy joke. Had she applied to the liberal arts program, her chances stood far better, but Annabeth realized at that moment that this application would be a fight till the end.

_**Next Morning—**_

Waking up at 6:45 to get ready for the SAT, Annabeth made sure she had packed the required admission items: the printed ticket and photo identification to enter the testing administration center. In addition, she packed a snack and a multitude of wooden pencils lest one of them becomes blunt halfway through the four hour long standardized test.

Unlike the other students, Annabeth walked into the test with a feeling of energized vigor. The rest of her peers resembled half dead zombies who been dragged to the testing hall by the will of their parents.

As the testing lady began checking their calculators to ensure they fit testing protocol, Annabeth began to feel the butterflies in her stomach. She knew that these test scores would be the ones sent to NYU, the ones that determined whether she'd be accepted there or not. The ones that would allow her to see Percy.

Taking a deep breath, Annabeth gave the administrator lady a forced smile as she checked identification. It was, needless to say, useless. The lady just glared, telling her to stop holding up the line. The test was to start in fifteen minutes. Annabeth took a good look around her surroundings, fully well knowing that this was the room in which her future depended on. The room, to put it bluntly, was like a prison cell. The blinds were closed, no natural light entering the room. There were rows upon rows of desks behind one another as students filed in and began to fill the seats.

Annabeth took her seat behind a rather corpulent looking boy with a buzz cut. His hair was covered in particles of dandruff which made Annabeth wince in disgust. She knew that the longer she looked at the back of his head, the more concentration she was going to lose. Steeling her nerves, she looked back down at the bound test booklet placed in front of her. The binding was yet to be sealed.

The old administrator woman, from before, closed the door shut behind her. The loud boom of the door produced an ominous sound that made Annabeth shudder. The woman commenced with her nasally voice as she went through the procedure and repercussions of cheating which involved tests being taken away and their scores being cancelled.

Annabeth was growing impatient halfway through the test; she just needed to take this test and be finished with it. She could see every other student in the hall project the same feelings.

Finally, the woman paused to clear her throat, indicating that they may break open their seals. Annabeth's fingers trembled as she ripped the front seal that had so far left the book closed. Like a gunshot in a race, they were off. Annabeth's eyes skimmed over the directions, the words floating all over her head. There simply wasn't a way to focus. Nothing stayed still.

But, in that moment, Annabeth heard Percy's taunting voice in her head, "Can't you study without me?" The image then switched to one where he was smiling straight at her, and then the picture of the two of them. Thinking of the thoughts calmed Annabeth enough. Taking another glance at the problems, she realized that their initial difficulty was a mere result of stress.

With ease, she flew through the math questions, doing them exactly as Samantha had instructed. That one provoking statement from Percy had provided her with the adrenaline she needed to finish the section with two minutes to spare.

Next were the reading passages. Annabeth knew it would be futile to skim over the passage, knowing that she would just have to relook at it when the questions alluded to the text. Taking one more deep breath, she read the passage, word by word.

Giving herself time to read, Annabeth managed to finish that portion of the test just as the alarm sound. The remainder of the four hours proceeded in a manner similar to this, with alternating sections of math, reading, and writing.

She came out of the test like the rest of the test-takers, completely exhausted and near brain dead. She felt as though her brain wouldn't be able to function for the rest of the day. Annabeth had opted out for the option where her scores would automatically be sent to NYU. All she had to do now was to wait.

Samantha was waiting for outside the entrance of the testing hall, giving her a thumbs-up.

"C'mon Annabeth. Let's go somewhere to celebrate. My treat. How 'bout DQ?"

"No, not DQ."

"Then?"

"Freeziac?"

"You want frozen yogurt? Alright then," Samantha made a repelled face at the thought of frozen yogurt.

"It tastes exactly like ice cream but healthier…"

"Still. Fine, leggo."

Annabeth couldn't help but be uplifted by Samantha's spirits. She found her mood gradually improving as they got their frozen yogurt order. Sitting across from one another, the two girls discussed random topics, finally having a chance to talk girl to girl as opposed to tutor and tutee.

She felt that she owed Samantha the truth at least, "Truth is Sam, I had another reason to get into NYU."

Samantha gave a small knowing smile before masking it, "Told you so."

"There's a guy…"

"Ooh, give me the deets."

Annabeth had to chuckle once at her enthusiasm; she then went to tell everything from the beginning: how she had met Percy to the present.

"Sounds like you really like him to try to get into NYU for him. That's some motivation," Samantha said almost wistfully.

"Yeah," Annabeth responded softly.

"It'll work out Annabeth, don't worry."

"I hope so. I just have to wait till NYU gets back to me."

_**4 Weeks Later—**_

"Samantha!" Annabeth yelled into the phone. The line was a little difficult to hear, especially with the drone of the TV in the backdrop. Annabeth had just received her letter in the mail from NYU. She was yet to read it, waiting to share it with Samantha at the same time.

Samantha had been great support these last few weeks, consoling her on _the issue _and other things as well, like the older sister she never had.

"Is it here?" the other girl squealed over the line.

"It just got here!"

"Have you opened it?"

"Not yet…" Annabeth's hand trembled as she pried the letter open, her hands shaking as she withdrew the letter. Looking at the top line, the phone fell to the ground with a thud.

"Annabeth?"

"Annabeth?!"

Annabeth slowly picked up the phone from the ground, "I didn't get in, Sam. I didn't get in."

"What?! How?!"

"My scores got delayed when the SAT sent them in, according to the letter. They got mixed up with someone else's. It got turned in late."

"How could they deny you?"

"It wasn't exactly a rejection…They just waitlisted me."

There was a pause on the other end before the older girl spoke, "It wasn't a complete denial. At least they're aware of your situation."

"Sam, I…"

"Annabeth, it'll be ok. Trust me. I can check with my professors and see what I can do."

"Talk later, Sam. I— have something to do…"

"I understand. Talk later."

Annabeth turned to face the TV that was playing in the background. One month. It had been one month of hope that she'd be able to see him again, all crushed due to an error.

Annabeth was about to turn the TV off when the breaking news banner appeared on the screen, showing reporters huddling around two young celebrities…. In front of NYU!

She caught snippets of what the reporters were saying as the couple got into a limo waiting in front. Annabeth noticed a wave of curly red hair on the girl. The girl was wearing sunglasses, not letting reporters take a full visual of her face. The other person, who Annabeth guessed was a guy, didn't even bother showing his face to the cameras as he walked to the limo, his hand dragging the girl along.

The perky blond covering the story straightened her hair as she spoke, "And there you have it. The new 'it' couple of Wall Street: Rachel Elizabeth Dare of Dare Corporations is dating none other than the heartthrob of the business world and heir to Atlantic Industries, Percy Jackson."

_One month, Annabeth thought. One month and everything has changed. She grasped at the heart shaped pendant on her neck, her hand clutching it tightly as thought it were her real heart threatening to escape._

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**Anyway, longer complicated ending… And my originality is something you may have to look forward to. Updates will be sporadic since I am busy. **

**In other news, check out the Percabeth story Inseparable by UNoWhoOwnsFanfiction (my first account). I published this story on my first account for no real reason. You can find the account under favorite authors or directly in my profile description. Tell me what you think of it. It's not a genre I normally dabble with, but it was interesting to write. It's just a 1K+ oneshot. **


	15. Chapter 15

**I was listening to SS501's (KPop band) song, Love Ya. I love the tune and the melody with the violins mixed in, just beautiful. Not to mention those lead singers in this MV. The feels. Check it out.**

**Happy Easter to those who celebrate. **

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_**Percy's House**_

Knowing that the closer he stayed to Annabeth, the more pain will be inflicted on both parties involved, Percy decide the best solution was to move. It wasn't entirely voluntary either. He had received an eviction notice from the owner of the building… Or at least the new owner of the building.

Poseidon Jackson figured it would cut the trouble of having to argue with his son if he skipped the entire drama, bought the apartment, and force his son out. Percy knew better than to argue with his father. So, instead of looking for another place to stay, he ended up going back to his father's mansion.

The house was just as one would expect the house of a multimillionaire's house to look like. From the furnishing to every little detail, each piece was carefully handpicked to match the tastes of its owner.

In other words, Percy felt constrained. He was not his father. Despite resembling the older Jackson almost identically, their personalities and mindsets were far from accord. Whereas his father was strict and restrained, the younger Jackson basked his freedom, not having the slightest care in the world for responsibility.

The only way Percy managed to stay with his father's temperament was his mother. That is, of course, until she died when he reached 15 years of age. Almost immediately, Percy was shipped off to boarding school to never see the mansion again. Poseidon Jackson spent a great deal of money ensuring that all Percy did was study to hone the skills he'd require to take over Atlantic Industries.

And study he did. The boarding school, under his father's orders…and bribes, had more or less practiced in-school suspension 24/7. No, it was worse than in-school suspension. It was the power of having every delight in the world but no freedom to exercise it. There was no doubt he was well taken care off, but no matter what, being in 'prison' is being in 'prison'.

Percy picked up the meaning of the word arrogance. To deal with the kids at school who picked on him, calling him a spoiled rich bastard, he became a bully. People feared the mere sound of his footstep echoing through the school hallways as he approached. Ruthlessly, he beat up innocent kids at times who stood in his path, venting his feelings of outrage on the world. Soon, he wasn't the one being bullied, but the one bullying. They stayed clear of him.

At the end, Percy was left with no friends those three years of high school, the years he needed someone the most. Without his mother, Percy often found himself just staring blankly while people weren't looking. Being isolated most of the time, his bully façade slipped off when he was alone, the only time he could be the person he truly was.

Those three years he spent in boarding school hardened Percy to be the man he was now. He had studied according to his father's orders and even entered the MBA program at NYU under his father's orders. His years at college involved being stuck in a dorm with no one else to share. He had changed since high school, no longer resorting to physical violence. It was more mental violence.

Although many had approached him to befriend him, Percy shot them all a look of disdain. He had had enough experience with people at school, learning that people either approached you to pick a fight or to take advantage of your status. This disdain gave way in the form of condescendence. People found him cocky, arrogant, not understanding the reason behind his nature. Nobody asked; he told no one.

As for the girls, none of them captured his interest. He was single minded in his focus, doing the business major as his father had instructed him to do so. Flocks of girls had thrown themselves on him only to be crushed by the cold, exterior front they found themselves at. There was one though that he was able to tolerate mildly, Samantha Johnson. In fact, she was the only one that had made college bearable. She didn't throw herself at his feet like the others; Sam treated him like anybody else, never prying in to his life.

There was never anything serious between the two other than a friendship where they could rely on one another. They did favors for one another, occasionally teasing each other. Samantha matched Percy in his arrogance. It wasn't in her personality, but she was the only one who didn't mind giving him a sample of his medicine. And a favor it was that Percy asked from Sam to help his dilemma regarding Annabeth. Although reluctant at first, Sam agreed to help out, saying that Percy will be forever indebted to her of course. Percy had planned out everything, a scheme already formulated in his mind. Now, all she had to do was help Annabeth and all would be set.

What Percy did not foresee in his plan was his father's involvement. Involvement was the sugar-coated version of it. Percy had had no direct interaction with his father since boarding school. That was until he had called him about three months ago, suddenly inserting himself into Percy's life after seven long years of silence. Percy thought it would end there, but no, he had showed up a little over two months ago whilst Annabeth had been cleaning his house.

Poseidon Jackson had feigned familiarity with his son, putting on a casual appearance in front of Annabeth Chase, but Percy knew better. His father wouldn't have contacted him unless he needed something urgently.

That day, as Annabeth cleaned his apartment, Percy met with his father despite his strong misgivings. It took his all not to turn and walk out from the meeting. But there was no escaping it with Poseidon Jackson's imposing figure standing at the door.

Jackson Sr. started off with small talk as though he actually cared about what his son had accomplished these last seven years. Percy had none of it, replying with one word sentences to his father's questions. He wished that the other man would just get to the point. But Poseidon Jackson never did. He just apologized for neglecting his son these past few years, claiming the company was in a dire situation and it was all for Percy's best.

He even invited Percy back home which Percy refused immediately. Poseidon Jackson then, to get on his son's good side, handed him a credit card, everything billed directly to him on behalf of his son. Percy wasn't sure if he was ready to believe his father just yet. No contact, and now this. But he figured there was no harm in indulging a little with his father's money, hence the private boats and restaurants. Percy had always had a fashionable side to him. Although Annabeth wouldn't have believed him, when he had first met her, he was near broke, with just enough money to sustain his food, housing, and education.

Poseidon Jackson's visit changed it all. He was no longer restrained, free to indulge in his clothing allowance. Slowly, as his father contacted him more often, Percy began to trust him more and more. Poseidon Jackson never mentioned anything specific in their conversations, just quick conversation starters.

Percy felt like he had his father again, reliving the several years of childhood he had lost. They would meet up on the weekends, going fishing together, but then the bomb dropped.

"What?!" Percy asked with incredulity.

"You need to see Rachel Elizabeth Dare."

Percy stared some at the picture in front of him, "I see her."

Poseidon scowled at his son's sassy comment, "You know what I mean. Date her."

"You don't just date someone you don't know. Is that even ethical?"

"Do you know what ethical even is?" Poseidon countered. Percy opened his mouth only to close it shut. Mr. Jackson took it as a signal to continue, "Anyway, she's transferring to NYU. Her father's company could be our key to expand to land development."

"Don't you have enough with Atlantic Industries?"

"I'm doing this for your own good, Percy."

"What good?"

"You'll inherit the company after me."

"Dad… Have you ever thought that I don't want to be the heir? I hated you for sending me to boarding school. I hate the idea of business. I hate the control you try to have over my life after abandoning me for seven years. You call yourself my father?"

Poseidon Jackson's face contorted into one of anger at his son's impudence, "You dare speak to me like that?"

"Are you going to answer all my questions with questions?"

"Are you?"

"Stop. This is going to get us anywhere. The answer is final. No, I will not date Rachel Elizabeth Dare. Looking at her picture, she looks like the ultimate, snobby rich girl. She's not my type."

"Then what is your type? Like that blond wh*re at your house when I was over? Is she your type? The one night stand type? I expected better of you, being my son and all. A womanizer, that's what you are. I've heard rumors about you and the girls at NYU."

Percy's hands curled up into a ball-shaped fist under the table, the veins threatening to pop, "If I'm a womanizer, then what the hell are you? You said you've heard rumors about me? That's impossible unless you were the one who started them. I didn't even so much as look at a girl at NYU. And who are you calling a wh*re? Don't you dare say anything about Annabeth. Say one more thing, and your face will regret it once I'm through."

"Is this how you talk to your father?" Poseidon gave his son a sneer, "But why so protective over that girl? It looks like I hit Percy Jackson's soft spot. Don't think I'm ignorant, son. Those men who attacked her, they were mine. I sent them after her. You just ruined it completely, being at the wrong place at the wrong time."

"How'd you know?"

"You might think I'm an uncaring father, but I've been keeping my tabs on you."

Percy's face turned a pale, ghostly white as he remembered the incident. That was his father's doing? His father had intentionally endangered Annabeth's life knowing that she was associated with him. It was all his fault that she had been attacked, raped if he hadn't been there. Percy stood up, his chair grating against the tiled floor. With a solid punch to the jaw, he caused Poseidon Jackson to double over in pain. He leaned close to his father's ear, whispering, "Mess with Annabeth, and I'll make sure you're ruined."

Poseidon Jackson simply winced as he smiled, "You think you can take me out? Try to. The more you resist, the more your own life will be personal hell."

"Go ahead," Percy turned around to exit. A few strides in, he heard a low, throaty chuckle from behind him.

"Did I mention…" Poseidon began as Percy turned to face him, "That if you don't date Rachel and get in her father's good books that Annabeth Chase's life will be worse than the deepest pits of the Underworld? That little event before was nothing. I can do much worse."

_**At NYU—**_

Stone faced, Percy walked into the admission's office of NYU. It wasn't that difficult to locate Rachel Elizabeth Dare. Just follow the trail of black limos and Mercedes-Benzes lined up in the campus.

He found the red haired girl sitting coolly in one of the leather seats, sipping a glass of Fanta while reading the latest edition of Forbes. Her mink fur scarf wrapped around her neck like a thick shawl. Percy stood directly in front of her in attempt to catch her attention.

The girl didn't say anything, continuing to sip her drink. Percy had to cough slightly to get the girl to look up. With an indifferent tone, she spoke first, "Can I help you?"

From that moment on, Percy resolved to hate her more than he already had. Her impertinent tone was not something he would deal with it. "I'm Percy Jackson."

The girl's eyes widened before returning to its previous state of cool indifference, "So?"

Percy's anger was rising again. She didn't recognize him? He managed to keep a cool, restrained head as he spoke, "Heir to Atlantic Industries and your boyfriend."

"I choose my own boyfriend. Thank you," the girl turned back to her magazine.

"Rachel."

"Percy."

"Listen to me. I don't want to date you. Just looking at you reminds me of someone who spilled carrot juice on their head."

If Rachel was insulted, she didn't look it, simply ignoring her aggressor.

Percy continued, "I don't know what your father told you, but you better date me."

"What's your motive?"

"What?"

"Other than the fact your father is forcing you to, similar in respect to my own father, what is your motive? The Percy Jackson I've heard of would never agree to his father's demands."

"People change."

"I don't think so."

"You have no proof. You don't know me."

"I do as a matter of in fact," She gestured to the edition of Forbes she was reading. It was the interview that Percy had given sometime last year.

"Everyone knows that. No one really knows me."

"Oh, is that so? Well, I know your mother died when you were 15. Your uncaring father sent you to Goode Boarding School where you were named school bully, but no, you were lonely. You were alone which only further hardened you. When you joined NYU, you were the unreachable recluse, no companions except for one. That one was only for favors, nothing more. She was no better than the others. Am I correct?"

Percy's mouth hung open, "How?"

"I have my sources," Rachel smirked. "Now, if you'll excuse me. I have a class to attend. Keep this in mind Jackson: I hate when people order me around; I resist even more. And since you won't let me in on your ulterior motive, I'm afraid I can't help you."

"Wait!"

"What?"

"You're right. I do have a motive, but I won't tell you. You have no reason to concern yourself with it."

Rachel smirked once more knowingly, continuing to leave.

"But, you have to be my girlfriend."

She paused mid-step, half turned to face her speaker, "I don't have to be anything."

"Please."

"Is the Percy Jackson pleading with me?" She laughed at the mere thought. "No."

"Rachel…"

"Why the hell would I help you?"

"Your father wants you to."

"I don't suck up to my father like you do, Jackson. Besides, forget my father. What good does it do me to date you?"

"Pretend to be my girlfriend," Percy corrected.

"Whatever."

"Because of my good looks, fair humor…" Percy gave a half smile.

Rachel snorted in reply, "Arrogance, cockiness, misogynist…"

"I am not a misogynist!"

"Whatever you say, Jackson. Look, I don't have time to play silly games. Go find another imaginary girlfriend."

As she turned to leave, Percy grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her up close to his chest. Without another word, he leaned down roughly to kiss her on the mouth. When he looked up, he gave himself a satisfied smirk. Rachel was like any other girl, easy to overcome with just a kiss. Maybe his father and Annabeth were right. Even Rachel. It was slightly misogynistic of him to have taken advantage of her. He was just like any other player. Did this revelation make him angry? No. He wasn't really toying with the girl. She knew exactly what he wanted; he only needed to convince her. It was just a way of sealing the deal.

The girl was in a slight daze at the thought of kissing the business world's heartthrob. It took her a minute to recover, although not completely, "Jackson, who do you think you are?"

Giving her a heart-wrenching smile, he replied having secured in her in his plans, "Your new boyfriend, Red." He threw on a pair of sunglasses to cover her eyes.

Grabbing her hand tightly once more, he dragged her out of the admissions office. Almost instantly, he was bombarded by the paparazzi as he made his way towards one of Rachel's limos. He refused to look at any of the cameras, refusing the media a chance. Now, now there was no way Rachel could deny the rumors. There was no mistake in the message. If anyone had questions, one look at Rachel's still dazed face, and slightly messed up lipstick explained it all.

To the rest of the world, they were dating. This show was put on especially for his father's benefit, showing that he was keeping his side of the bargain. Even Rachel didn't know the whole truth behind the drama; only Percy knew.

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**Longest chapter yet (10 pages on Word and just cleared over 3000 words), so y'all better review or there's going to be some serious delay in the uploading of the next chapter. Anyway, this is the last chapter told from Percy's point of view and what he was doing all month. Don't get too mad at him just yet.**

**I'm also surprised by my originality. This barely even resembles the original story. Anyway, round of applause to me for actually using my mind and being somewhat creative.**

**Make sure to read, review, fave, and follow. **


	16. Chapter 16

**When I said that I wouldn't update till people reviewed, I didn't actually think it'd take me this long to update. I've been busy with classwork, so bear with me here with the slow updates.**

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_**Annabeth's House—**_

It had been a good two weeks since the public announcement of their relationship on TV. Annabeth did her best to forget about _him_, skillfully tiptoeing around the topic any time someone casually mentioned it in conversation.

In the meanwhile, she tried to keep herself preoccupied with college acceptances. She had been accepted into University of Pittsburgh, University of Wisconsin Madison, and even Washington University in St. Louis. Wash U, as natives fondly called it, was almost as prestigious of a college as NYU. But two factors discouraged Annabeth from making her decision. She had gotten some need-based scholarship, but it was in no way whatsoever enough to cover tuition, books, and housing costs. Not to mention that non state-residents had to pay at a higher rate. On top of it, Annabeth wasn't too fond of the idea of leaving state to go study for an undergrad program.

Her mother had been trying to convince her to accept the acceptance in account of the scholarship, saying that she could pay off the loan by working later. But Annabeth wanted to start her career debt free, no loans.

She still kept her hopes high about NYU. After all, she had only been waitlisted. They had till next week to get back to her. And no, she didn't care if Percy Jackson went to college there. She had worked harder than anything to apply to this school, and she wasn't going to let a prick like _him_ be the basis of her decision. True, avoiding him would be a problem, but he only had one more year of college left anyway. After that, three years of Percy-free college.

In-state tuition at NYU was cheaper and due to special, extenuating circumstances, students with dyslexia with a certain grade point average and a certain level of extracurricular requirements had a slim chance of student grants.

Samantha had a been a great help and moral support these past few weeks, calling just to chat, and on occasion, offering college related advice. And speaking of the devil, the phone rang as Annabeth was poring over the fine lines of the terms and conditions of the FAFSA **(the Free Application for Federal Student Aid)** report.

"Hey Sam!" Annabeth tried an uplifted tone, hoping Sam wouldn't notice her disappointment at it being a college call.

"Annabeth," Sam began, getting straight to the point, "So, I contacted the admissions office this morning about your case."

"You shouldn't have. I don't deserve any preferential treatment."

"Don't worry about it. It's not like I'm going to bribe them so that you can attend."

"Glad to know you care."

"Anyway. They said they'd let applicants waitlisted by next week."

"We knew that already," Annabeth pointed out.

"I know, but just to verify with an official person. But what did strike me as a curious was that he recognized your name coming up in conversation before amongst the admission office staff."

"What?"

"I'm not sure, but he did say that the 'circumstances' surrounding your application was one he had not heard before. He didn't go into specifics saying it was confidential. Maybe if you called him…?"

"I don't want to do anything rash until I get in."

"Don't worry. You will get in."

"If only NYU, or even I, had the same amount of confidence as you do."

"Annabeth, why are you so damn pessimistic? Cheer up a little. It's not the end of the world. Anyway, I'll catch you later, girl. Tata for now."

Annabeth had to smile a little, slightly amused by Sam's uplifted, cheery tone. But, that too immediately disappeared as soon as she stared at the FAFSA form once more. There was just no escaping all this college application nonsense. And no, her father, despite being the professor he was, was no help nor did he have any influence in the college application process.

_**Percy's House—**_

To convince his father of the charade, Percy voluntarily invited Rachel over every day after classes. Poseidon Jackson grinned at the thought of his son being a more responsible adult, following his father's footsteps.

And if Percy was being honest, he didn't mind it. Rachel was unlike any other girl he had met before, well, except for one other. She too didn't asserting her mind. Rachel Elizabeth Dare was the ultimate pinnacle figure of modern day feminism. Sure she had changed her mind to help him after the kiss, but that was her sense of adventure butting into the mix.

There had been more repeats of the incident since then, and both had managed to keep their distance in private. Only when Poseidon Jackson came out of his study to check on the two would Rachel immediately jump on Percy's lap, pretending to play with his tousled black hair absentmindedly. After seeing what he had wanted to, Poseidon would give a knowing wink at Rachel before returning to the study, closing the door behind him.

Immediately, in disgust, Rachel would move to the opposite side of the couch, as far away from Percy as possible. When questioned by Percy, she replied, sticking her tongue out, "A girl has her standards you know."

"Am I not up to your highness's standards?"

"Please Jackson, I could do so much better."

Percy snorted, "I doubt it. You are lucky that I even agreed to date you."

"Fake date…"

"Regardless."

"You know, it's been two weeks, and you still haven't told me."

"What?"

"Why we're putting on this charade. Jackson, you owe it to me to be helping you. I should at least know why the hell I'm voluntarily spending time with someone like you."

Percy grinned at her sarcastic tone, his green eyes twinkling with some mischief, "Well, I guess you'll just have to see."

"Jackson!"

"What, Dare?"

"What are you hiding?" Rachel placed her hands on the couch in front of her, crawling a little closer to him, almost seductively.

Percy made a move to get off the couch, but he was already at the end of the seat. Rachel's face was right in front of his, allowing him to smell the almost sickeningly sweet smell of the cherry blossom perfume she was wearing.

"Go away," he growled.

Rachel simply let out a laugh, grabbing a throw pillow that had fallen down to chuck at him. "I got you so bad Jackson. You should have seen the look on your face like you actually thought I was seducing you. Jackson, you're just a coward."

"Shut up," Percy mumbled, returning the favor by tossing the pillow at her.

"Admit defeat Perce. You just lost to me."

"We weren't competing…"

"The look on your face says so otherwise."

"Whatever. I won't ever admit defeat."

"If that's what makes you sleep tight at night, Jackson. I should be heading back home soon."

"You sure you don't want to stay for dinner? You know, my dad, and all…"

"And inflict on myself even more awkward, unnecessary conversations? No."

"Please Red. For me? If you're there, it won't be as awkward for me to talk to him. Now a days, I can be in the same room as him for more than five minutes before wanting to rip his head off."

"That escalated quickly."

"In all seriousness."

"Maybe another day."

"I hate you."

"Want to tell me something I don't already know?" Rachel grinned at Percy's somewhat endearing childlike behavior.

"Fine, catch you at school tomorrow."

"You know where to find me," she winked, slinging her purse over her shoulder. Being the gentleman he was, Percy walked her out to her Porsche, waiting for her outside on the driveway. Rachel waved once, looking backwards, as she drove off, causing Percy to grin once before he tried to hide it.

_**Annabeth's House—**_

Annabeth rushed back to her room straight after dinner upon receiving an urgent text from Sam: _Check your email now._

Annabeth's hands trembled as she drew up her inbox. Was it another college acceptance? If so, how had Sam gotten to know before her? She clicked on the email at the top of her inbox:

_Dear Annabeth Chase, _

_We are pleased to inform you that we here at NYU have decided that you have been accepted into NYU's school of Architecture. Now to move on to the next step of the enrollment process. Due to the circumstances surrounding your application involving financial aid packages, we would be delighted for you to come by the NYU office tomorrow at 10 AM for a brief interview regarding the terms and conditions that apply to those who have submitted the FAFSA form. We look forward to your enrollment._

_Yours Truly,_

_Henry McWillis_

_Senior Head Admissions Officer_

Annabeth could hardly contain her delight, letting out a squeal of delight. She had done it finally, a month before freshmen semester started. She began dialing Sam's number almost immediately, her hands still trembling from the news.

"Sam! I got in!"

"I know! I know! I told you that you would," Samantha seemed as excited as Annabeth at the prospect of her admission at NYU.

"I can't believe it. I have an interview tomorrow at 10."

"Don't screw up."

"Thanks, I can feel the confidence now…"Annabeth's voice dripped with sarcasm.

"I'm sure you'll do fine, and my instincts haven't been wrong thus far."

Later that night, after breaking the news to her parents, Annabeth had trouble sleeping, some anxiety over the interview clouding her thoughts. She tossed in her bed, the perspiration beading her forehead. She pulled her covers up over her head, hoping that the lack of moonlight would help her better sleep.

That seemed to alleviate the issue, allowing her at least a good 6 hours of sleep before she woke up at 6 AM to prepare. After tossing nearly every outfit from her closet, she went with a gray, pencil thin skirt with a pink blouse. Annabeth weaved her hair into bun before applying the necessary mascara and eyeliner. She decided to keep it simple, knowing it was a college interview.

The cab dropped her off promptly at 9:45 AM at the front door of the admissions office. Annabeth felt like she had seen the building somewhere before, like on TV. Disregarding the notion, she walked into the waiting room, stuck with a hawkish looking lady who was bent over peering intently at her computer screen.

At 9:59 AM, the lady called in nasally tone, "Annabeth Chase?"

"Yes."

"This way," she gestured to a pair of closed doors, indicating that Annabeth should go through them. Nodding once, Annabeth got up, steadied her nerves, and proceeded to walk through said doors.

As she closed the door behind her, she noticed a balding man in his 50's sitting behind a rather large desk. He had a pleasant smile, immediately putting Annabeth to ease, "Ah, Miss Chase. Henry McWillis. Pleasure to make your acquaintance young lady."

Annabeth shook his hand firmly before taking a seat across from him.

"So, as I mentioned in the email, this will just be a few questions regarding the forms you submitted regarding financial aid. Mind if I pose some?"

"Of course not."

"Splendid. Let's get started shall we? First, are both your parents employed?"

"No, just my father. He is a professor of history at NYU in fact."

"Is that so? I had no idea. Second, do you have any siblings?"

"No sir."

"Any previous family that attended NYU?"

"No sir."

"First gen of college?"

"My parents both attended universities out of state."

The process continued for about an hour, a volley of question and answers, just reiterating everything Annabeth had already stated on her form. Although she was growing rather weary of the whole ordeal, she knew she had to stay perky in order to make a professional impression on the man in front of her. He simply nodded every time she answered a question, ticking it off before moving to the next question.

As the meeting drew to a close, he smiled warmly, "Thank you Miss Chase for your time. We will be getting back to you shortly regarding your scholarships."

"Thank you Mr. McWillis," she replied, shaking his hand earnestly once more.

As she was about to leave, he called out, "Annabeth, you're lucky to have connections." And without another word to explain his ambiguous statement, he shut the door behind her.

And in that startled state, Annabeth shouldered her messenger bag before walking out. _Connections? He didn't mean Samantha, did he? She said she wouldn't interfere. But then again, she did know about her acceptance before she even did. It had to have been her. There was no one else…not even her father. _

As she contemplated the matter some more, Annabeth didn't bother looking where she was going, causing her to run into someone. She flinched as she hit something resembling a brick wall. In her surprise, her shoulder bag fell, her application forms flying all over the floor.

Annabeth leaned down to gather up her belongings as quickly as possible before anyone noticed; she didn't even bother looking up to see who she had hit. As she went to grab the last handful of papers, she noticed the other man was crouching down, his Red Wing boots on top of the papers.

"Excuse me," she mumbled.

The man moved his foot, grabbed the papers and handed them to her before standing up. Annabeth just noticed the pair of red pumps standing nearby, tapping impatiently. Next to her were two men in all black. If Annabeth hadn't known better, she would have assumed it was the Secret Service themselves. She heard the girl mutter, "We're going to be late to class. Why'd you help her? It's her fault that she walked into you."

The man murmured something in low undertones to which the other girl chuckled, "Shut up Jackson. You think I'm jealous? You know better."

Annabeth's head shot up at the mention of Jackson. Looking straight at her was none other than the Percy Jackson that had left her almost 5 months ago. There were no traces of recognition in his eye. He had changed…completely. The glance that had passed between lasted a mere second, but Annabeth felt the electric jolt in her heart from it.

Percy, no signs of acknowledgement, let Rachel link her arms with his, leaning closer to her to whisper something, walking away.

Annabeth knew she had to do something. She had come all the way here; this being her initial intent. "Percy!" it sounded like a whisper in her ears, but she knew it had carried as the clicking of the heels against the floor stopped.

Rachel's head whipped around to face Annabeth, her face a mixture of confusion and slight disgust, as though Percy would associate himself with people like Annabeth. Percy's head half-turned so that only one of his startlingly green eyes could be seen. It was momentary, turning the other direction almost immediately. Placing his arm around Rachel's shoulder, he led her away, the bodyguards following, leaving Annabeth clutching her application papers.

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**Let's all hate on Percy. Lol, actually let's not. Percy's character will be explained more in the next chapter, so don't hate on me or him.**

**I also heard the Sea of Monsters trailer came out. It's supposed to have fixed character mistakes from the last movie hopefully.**

**I'm not sure when I'll update next, but till then, review, fave, follow.**


	17. Chapter 17

**I think there are either 3-4 chapters remaining, but either way, I hope to be done by the end of the month. **

Percy felt a gut-wrenching pain as he walked away, the guilt surging in even stronger every step he took away from her. Since when did he care about other's opinion on him? He was Percy Jackson after all. But, being Percy Jackson also meant being thorough in everything he did, following through with a plan till the end.

He noticed Rachel glance at him curiously as they walked soundlessly down the hall to their next class. Percy didn't give her a chance to speak in fear that he might just break. As they were about to enter, Rachel put her arm out, stepping in front of him, preventing from entering, "Percy."

"What?"

"Stop."

Percy pushed half-heartedly against Rachel's arm, "Rachel, quit playing around. Class starts in 5 minutes."

"Forget about class. C'mon. You're coming with me."

"We'll miss class."

"Since when have you cared?"

"Valid point…" It was the truth. Before meeting Annabeth, skipping school was a common occurrence with Percy, so common that the school had threatened to kick him out. Before he could protest, Rachel grabbed his arm, dragging him out the entrance.

"Rachel, if someone sees us…"

"What? We're 'dating'. I thought you were the one who wanted PDA anyway. It doesn't matter. We need to talk," Rachel found a quiet alcove with adequate shade under a large oak tree. Percy muttered in disgust as he sat down on the ground, complaining of the grass stains he would incur.

"Man up," Rachel snorted at his girl-like behavior.

"Tell me again why I'm skipping class to spend time with you?"

"Cause, you secretly have a crush on me and you don't want to admit it," Rachel stuck out her tongue, showing her dimples quite clearly.

"Right, that's it."

"So, what's up with that whole scene back there?"

"What scene?"

"Don't act dumb, Jackson. With the girl."

"What about her?"

"How did she know your name?"

"Despite what you think, I'm a pretty popular guy. Everyone knows me. Even you yourself showed me that article of me in the Forbes. She must just be another fangirl."

"A fangirl that came all the way here to see you?"

"It's happened. Girls like to throw themselves at me. It's a pity to refuse them. Consider yourself lucky."

"Shut it Jackson. I'm not as stupid as you are. There's something obviously up with the girl and you."

"Let me understand the situation so that a ginger like you can understand," Percy said slowly. "The girl walked into me, dropping all her papers. I leaned down to help her being the gentle man I am." Rachel snorted in disbelief at this point; Percy chose to ignore it and continued, "Anyway, she must have then recognized me. It's really simple."

Rachel scowled, the skepticism clearly shown on her countenance. But she knew the further she pushed Percy, the more reluctant he'd be to confide in her. Despite herself, she was starting to fall for Percy Jackson, slowly but surely. The more time she spent with him, the more insight into his character he got.

She had been wrong the first time she had seen him. He was right. All the information was superficial, barely nicking the surface level. Inside his tough boy exterior was really a sweet, caring, fun-loving person. He had toughened himself from the outside world. Percy really was kind to her, being the courteous host every time she went over. His sweetness was underlined with a semblance of sadness, as though he was reminded of something else every time they talked. It was almost tender in a sense, but the sentiment was replaced in a blink when he cleared his throat and moved on to another topic.

She definitely had feelings for him. What Rachel wasn't sure about is whether that was a good or bad thing. They were only fake-dating after all; Percy had made that quite explicit. He wouldn't be able to see her more than that. And if her hunch was correct, the main reason for fake dating was because there was someone else involved, someone that Rachel reminded Percy off, hence the tenderness. Whatever it was, Rachel was intent on getting to the bottom.

"Earth to Rachel," Percy said, waving his hand in front of her face, as though trying to revive her from her revelations. Rachel's face must have been stuck in a permanent scowl as Percy started laughing, "You looked stoned."

"Shut up!" Rachel turned a beet-red, almost the same shade as her hair. She had to smile a little, seeing him laugh like that. It gave her a warm feeling that she had been able to make him happy. She punched his shoulder teasingly to which Percy immediately stiffened and stopped laughing immediately. His teasing manner was instantly gone without a single trace. "Did I do something wrong?" she fretted.

"No, it's nothing. My arm's just sore," Percy rubbed it to prove his point, but Rachel knew there was something more to the meaning than just that.

Feeling the need to change subjects, Rachel quickly moved on, "Hey Perce. Know how you asked me to dinner that day, and I refused?"

"Yeah," Percy replied absentmindedly. He was only half-heartedly involving himself in the conversation.

"Do you think your dad would mind if I came today instead?" Rachel knew that his dad would never refuse, but she had framed her question so that it wasn't Percy's approval she was asking for. She wasn't prepared to hear his answer.

Percy paused a little before answering, "I don't think he'd mind… If you really want."

It wasn't a friendly invitation, but Rachel jumped on it, knowing this might be her chance to see what Percy Jackson was hiding.

"I'll be over at 6. See you later Jackson!" Before he could refuse, Rachel jumped up, grabbed her books and made a rush for her next class.

Percy sat their dumbfounded. Had Rachel just invited herself over, and had he actually let her? He didn't know what had gotten into him today. Seeing Annabeth had completely unnerved him. He wasn't himself anymore. It had been 5 months since he had last seen her. Five, long painful months. What had she been doing there? She was walking out of the admissions office, could it be?

He had talked to the admissions office once Sam had informed him of Annabeth's application. He didn't necessarily bribe them. They were already considering Annabeth, but Percy just added some more incentive to the selection process. If she had gotten in, did that mean she was attending there next year? Would he be able to see her? And how long was he going to keep the charade with Rachel? It couldn't go on forever. At least he had till the beginning of the next semester to deal with. It wasn't long but manageable.

Clearing his mind so that he was in the present once more, he texted Rachel on an afterthought, "Dress nice."

He got a quick reply back, "Don't I always, Jackson? Don't worry. I'll try to exceed my regular sexy just for you, babe. xoxo"

Percy stared in disgust at the screen. They were dating to the rest of the world, but did she really need to call him babe. With Rachel, he could never tell if it's teasing or real.

_**That evening at 6—**_

Rachel arrived at the door promptly at 6. True to her word, she was wearing an appropriate red evening gown, making her literally look like the girl on fire, what with her carrot hair and all.

"Told you I'd be blazing hot," she winked as Percy opened the door.

"Very punny, Red."

"You know you appreciate it, Jackson."

"Save it," Percy muttered as he escorted her to the dining table. Rachel eagerly linked arms with him, and under his questioning look, she merely replied, "Just doing my part."

Poseidon Jackson's face broke out into a huge grin as he saw the young 'couple' enter. Just looking at them made him even more confident as to what he planned to do. They were the perfect match, unlike the petty blond girl that Percy had been around. She had proved to be a negative influence on his son, an influence he could have done without. But no matter, those days were over. Percy was a changed man, and Rachel would be the perfect match to keep him focused.

Mr. Jackson got up to hold out the chair for the young girl, offering a kiss on her hand as she was seated. He sat in between the two at the head of the table so that the two were facing one another. He had contemplated for hours over the arrangement, and it hurt him to split them up, but he simply needed to get to know Rachel.

The table groaned under the dishes laden with saliva-inducing food. It was a specially prepared banquet buffet for the special upcoming event. The dinner went on with a silence as neither spoke much, only occasionally commenting on the quality of the food or taking a sip of their Merlot. Neither youngster had much appetite for the mild, red wine, but nevertheless, Poseidon continued with his plan.

He signaled for the dessert to come out, a three tier-layered marble cake with the whipped frosting.

"Dad, what's this for?" Percy demanded, wide-eyed.

Rachel stared in wonder as the waiter put a large slice on her plate. Taking the silver fork located to the side of her plate, she took a bike, her eyes too widening as the cake melted in her mouth, "This is delicious. No words to describe it."

"Thought so."

"Don't you think this is a little too much for a dinner?"

"What do you mean too much? I wanted to do this at the restaurant, but no matter. Home is just as good."

"Do what exactly?"

Poseidon looked his son straight in the eye as he spoke, pulling out a box and placing it in his hand, "Your engagement to Rachel of course."

**That was a short chapter, but it's almost midnight, and I should catch some sleep. Anyway, make sure to review. The more you all review, the more likely I'll be able to update sooner.**

**Anyway, I know I said I was going to start Playful Kiss this summer, but an idea popped in my mind while wanting to write a one-shot yesterday. Check it out. Give it a fave, review, or follow:**

_**The Green Eyed Marine**_**: ****Captain Annabeth Chase is the typical Marine officer, training the new recruit of Marine officers. She is strict, unyielding, immovable. Enter Percy Jackson, a man who has joined Marine ranks as a private after declining an officer rank. As he gets closer to her, he slowly unlocks Annabeth Chase's innermost secrets. Does he have a darker past and a personal vendetta?**

**So, review, fave, and follow. Let's try and pass 300 reviews.**


	18. Chapter 18

**So many hate and threatening reviews… It's cool though. They were good, threatening reviews.**

**WARNING: This chapter does contain considerable amounts of swearing at the beginning.**

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_**Previously at the Jackson Mansion—**_

_Poseidon looked his son straight in the eye as he spoke, pulling out a box and placing it in his hand, "Your engagement to Rachel of course."_

The sound of a clattering fork resounded throughout the dining hall. Rachel had dropped her fork midway into a piece of a cake. Percy on the other hand didn't register anything his father had just said.

"Could you repeat that?" he asked weakly.

"You are getting engaged to Rachel," Poseidon repeated with the same amount of excitement as when he had first said it.

"But…" Rachel began to protest, but Poseidon waved her off.

"I know it's a little sudden and all, but why wait? You two are perfectly matched in every aspect possible. The companies can both equally benefit. I talked to your father last night Rachel. Both your parents were in consent, so I thought we should get on with it," Poseidon had a smile on his face the entire time, as though he expected the children to be equally thrilled. "What's the matter?"

"We're too young, first point!" Rachel stood up abruptly, causing the table to tremble a little, her napkin clenched in her fist.

"What's the big fuss about? You two will get married eventually, so why not now?"

"Because that's the stupidest idea that I've ever heard you say," Percy said quietly. Quiet as his tone was, the menace was evident enough to catch Poseidon off guard. "Dad, I've put up with enough of your bullsh*t, but this is taking it to the limit. Who are you to waltz back into my life, ask me to date Rachel, and now even marry her? Who the hell gave you permission?"

"It's a birth right. My right as your father," Poseidon responded with equally silent menace. "The reason why you are so successful and well-known is due to my hard work, you ungrateful bast*rd."

"Stop holding that over my head. You think I want to lead a miserable life where I'm nothing but your puppet? No, I've never expressed that wish," At this point, Percy too had stood up, his face starting to turn red with fury.

Poseidon merely looked on calmly at his son's rising temper, "Percy, Mr. Dare and I settled it. You and Rachel are getting married as of next month."

Even Percy in all his years of arrogance and bullying had never felt the need to punch anyone as much as his father. Sticking up his middle finger defiantly at his father, he said clearly, "Fu— you." Taking Rachel's hand, the two made quite the departure storming out of the room.

Once they were outside at the front entrance of Jackson manor, Rachel placed her hand comfortingly on Percy's shoulder to ease the tension. Percy roughly pushed it away. He wasn't furious at Rachel, but the anger intended for his dad was misdirected at her.

"I'm sorry, Perce," Rachel mumbled quietly enough, but Percy heard it. He didn't plan to make a response, afraid that if he opened his mouth that he wouldn't be able to control himself. This control he exercised over himself resulted in him opening and clenching his fist systematically, his hand itching to break something. His face was contorted into an unreadable mask.

Rachel stared at him, the pity shown clearly in her green eyes, "Percy, I'll talk to my dad. We can fix this. I don't want this either. We'll get through it," It hurt Rachel to say it a little, but she knew now was not the right time to rejoice. Besides, any relation wouldn't be worth it if it was one-sided.

Percy gave her a quick nod when he realized there were tears starting to well up. Before Rachel could notice it, he used his sleeve to wipe them away quickly. Unfortunately Rachel had noticed. She had just witnessed the breakdown of none other than Percy Jackson, "Percy…?"

He didn't reply, unable to muster the strength. All the anger he had felt in society collapsed around him. Rachel dug deep into her handbag, pulling out a pack of Kleenexes, offering him one, "Here."

Percy was just as unresponsive when Rachel nudged him, so she proceeded to prying his arm out from under his face and stuffed the tissues in there, "Take this. I'm not claiming to know what exactly you're going through or why this hit you so much harder than it did me, but I know that you didn't deserve that. Your father is a first-class jerk who doesn't value the son he has in you. You are incredibly sweet, and I really hope that I can help you through this mess, Percy. I better see you at school tomorrow."

Percy, as she expected, didn't reply. Sighing once, Rachel took her leave, getting into the limo parked on the side.

_**Next Day—**_

To Percy's relief, Poseidon Jackson was nowhere to be seen the next day. Getting ready quickly, he managed to avoid all interaction with anyone as he arrived on campus. What he really didn't need at the time was unwarranted attention.

He didn't know if it was a result of people staying clear of him or whether he merely had tuned them all out. But, it seemed to be a mix of the two. The expression on his face was enough to even frighten Medusa. This strategy seemed to work well till about lunch time.

Percy had gone off to sit in a quiet, shaded corner when he saw Samantha approach, texting something quickly on her phone before pocketing it.

"Hey Perce," she waved cheerfully.

Not in the mood to talk, Percy replied reluctantly, "What do you want, Sam?"

"I just wanted to talk to my friend. Is that a sin?"

"When said friend is in a bad mood, yes."

"Aww, why the long face?"

"Forget it."

"Trouble down the love lane?"

"I said forget it."

"You do realize that will want to make me only but in more, right?"

"Sam, seriously, I'm really not in the mood to joke around now."

Just as sudden, Sam's teasing smile slipped her face, "I'm being dead serious Percy. Tell me what's wrong."

"You really want to know?"

"Yes, I really want to know."

"Rachel and I are engaged."

_**Annabeth's House—**_

Annabeth was unable to register what had happened yesterday at NYU. Of all people, why him? Why were the fates so cruel? There he was with the Rachel chick, clinging on to him like some lovesick carrot. Had he helped her with the admissions papers that had fallen, knowing that it was her or had he been just as surprised looking at her face to face?

He couldn't have been surprised. His face was an undecipherable mask, but he had returned to the girl almost instantly, leaning down to whisper something in her ear. Every time she replayed the scene in her mind, she felt the urge to cry. So far, she had controlled herself, her mother eyeing her with hawk-like eyes.

Sam had tried to contact her yesterday, but the message went directly to the voicemail. Annabeth didn't bother picking up anything. After yesterday's initial shock, she had to admit she was coping better than she had anticipated.

Annabeth understood Percy. He was the heir to Atlantic industries. Who was she? Nothing more than a school girl.

If that's what Percy wanted, so be it. Why bother with a one-sided love? She wasn't going to go interfere, and she wasn't going to sit there and let her life pine away in front of her. Annabeth would simply have to forget Percy Jackson.

Just as she made her resolve, she got another text from Sam, causing her phone to buzz incessantly. Dragging herself to the desk where it was, she picked it up, sliding the bar on her iPhone to see the message:

_Get over here quickly. We need to talk. ~SJ_

_Why? ~AC_

_Cause I need to show you something. ~SJ_

_Bring it over later if you want. ~AC_

_NO! You need to see this now. ~SJ_

_I don't want to. ~AC_

_Annabeth, please. *insert puppy face* ~SJ_

_No means no. ~AC_

_It's about your scholarship. ~SJ_

_What?! Why didn't you tell me before? ~AC_

_I was trying to tell you. :P ~SJ_

_Where are you? ~AC_

_In front of the admissions office courtyard. ~SJ_

Gathering all her things quickly, Annabeth tried to look at least semi-presentable before running out of her house. That Sam, always making things difficult. Annabeth hoped that today's events wouldn't be as dramatic as yesterday's had been. Even fate couldn't be that cruel to her.

_**Back at NYU—**_

"He did what?!"

"It's not going to happen."

"But Percy, he said your wedding is next month. Knowing your dad, he's probably already had it all planned out since the beginning from when he first insisted you date her."

"That can't be possible."

"Don't be dense," she replied, whacking him on the shoulder.

"Sam, there's no way…"

"Percy, you know your father's nature."

Percy found himself starting to believe her. Sam had a valid point. Why was Poseidon so insistent that he date Rachel? That wouldn't have built any lasting relations between the two companies. He had planned for a merger. His face began to pale as he uncovered more of his treachery.

"Look, I know this isn't what you want to hear, but you need to face the facts and man up. Don't let Rachel deal with the situation by herself."

"I know. I've been avoiding her as though it was her fault. I regret it, but every time I get the courage to go see her, I falter. I'll talk to her later today," Percy got up to leave when Sam stopped him. "What?" he demanded.

"There's someone you need to see."

"Sam, I don't have time. You just told me to go see Rach."

"I know Percy, but you should probably talk to her too."

"Who?"

Almost timed perfectly, Sam's phone rang, "Hey! Yeah, come to the giant oak near the building. I'm near the bench. See you in a sec."

"Sam, who are you talking—" Percy stopped midsentence as a girl approached the two college students quietly. She had an equally shocked expression in her face before she turned to Sam, "What's going on? Why's _he_ here? I'm leaving Sam. You lied."

Sam grabbed the girl by the shoulder, "Annabeth, you two best talk it out. I'm sick of seeing the two of you like this. Talk to him." Giving her a little push towards Percy, Sam walked off, waving joyfully.

"Jerk!" Annabeth mumbled under her breath, cursing Sam. "I don't care what Sam said, but I have nothing to say to you, Percy Jackson. I've had enough of this drama. I just need a clean break, and yesterday was good enough of one."

She turned to leave once more; this time Percy grabbing her arm, pulling her in closer till he could smell the sweet lemon scent of her curled blond hair. Letting his hands run through the curls, he lowered himself to her face level, almost intoxicated by the expression in her eyes. The expression looked murderous, but that made her even prettier than before. It was as if the cold, gray calculating eyes were planning a way to take him down. "Annabeth," he breathed.

Annabeth struggled a little against his firm grip. Percy didn't care if anyone saw him, but all that mattered was that she was in front of him. Without any hesitation, he pressed his lips hard against hers. Annabeth stopped resisting as his lips molded over hers, she put her arms around him as though it were a habit. Percy broke this kiss with the same winsome smile on his face as ever when he saw her. "I missed you," he said simply.

Annabeth wasn't just quite ready to believe him, "Rachel, yesterday? Percy, I don't want this to continue. If you're dating her, tell me instead of keeping my hopes up."

"I'm not dating her. It was all just an act."

"What?!"

"I said it was an act," Percy grabbed Annabeth's hand, leading her to the nearby bench. Once the two were seated, Percy explained it all in detail, leaving out only one part: the fact that his father was responsible for her assault.

"Percy...?"

"Yeah?"

"Is that the truth?

"The one and only."

"No more lies, Percy."

"I swear, Annabeth. I swear, no more lies," Drawing her in for a one armed hug, Percy allowed Annabeth to nuzzle her head in the crook of his neck. He sighed in content. It had almost been 6 months since they had seen each other, but they were even closer than they had been then.

Just as he sat there, looking appreciatively at the girl cuddled by his side, his phone rang, ruining the perfect moment. It was Rachel. Percy would have to deal with her later and decided to put his phone on mute. The phone kept ringing incessantly until finally Rachel decided to send a flood of text messages. Looking at one, he read it, a location address at the top:

_Get here ASAP!_

Percy's eyes bugged out when he saw the location and the purpose of the message. He had to leave immediately, but he knew he couldn't just leave Annabeth there again without informing her.

"Annabeth, I'll see you later. Promise. Something just came up."

"Promise?"

"Promise," he leaned to give her a quick peck on the cheek before racing to his car, getting in, and strapping his seatbelt. His heart was pounding faster by the second, his hands trembling at the wheel. It wasn't possible. There was no way it was true. Rachel had to be mistaken. She had given him the address to NYU Langone Medical Center. The traffic signal took even longer than usual to turn green. After a horrid thirty minutes in traffic, Percy found himself rushing in through the hospital doors. Slamming his hand on the counter, his face must have resembled nothing more than a savage. "What room?" he gasped out.

The young lady was alarmed but directed him to the room. Percy ran, ran as fast as his legs could carry him. H stopped short when saw the door number on the ward: 666. The feeling of pure terror radiated from the room as he opened the door, attempting to compose himself before facing Rachel. The doctor was there with a somber look on his face, a clipboard in his hand. Rachel's eyes were puffed red from some tears.

"What happened?" he demanded immediately at the doctor.

"We are not quite sure to be honest. From what we can tell, he had a heart attack as a side effect of some recent shock while driving. He hit another car which hit another, causing a chain reaction. The impact was enough to cause a brain hemorrhage and in turn inducing something worse than a coma."

"More importantly, can you save him?"

"Mr. Jackson, I—"

"I asked if you can save him, Doctor."

"Do you want to take a look?"

"What?"

"Do you want to see him?" The doctor led him to the adjacent room where a man was hooked up on the machines, an IV line attached.

"Did you try to resuscitate him?" Percy wasn't far from screaming.

"Mr. Jackson, we tried, but…"

"But what?"

"He may be in a vegetative state for an undetermined amount of time. We've ensured for him to have life support as of now."

Percy hadn't noted the quiet presence of a man sitting at his father's bedside. The other man got up to shake hands with Percy, "Chiron Brunner. I am your father's secretary. Mr. Jackson, I regret to be here at such a time, but this is of vital importance. According to your father's will…"

"He isn't dead yet!"

"Mr. Jackson, calm yourself," the doctor reprimanded.

Mr. Brunner took no notice of the outburst, continuing, "In any event of death or near death state, which this life sustainability is about, he has instructed that his son, and heir, will be in charge of the business and CEO Pro Tempore in his absence."

"What?"

"That means you are now CEO of Atlantic Industries, Mr. Jackson."

* * *

**Percy's CEO. Yay. **

**And now for some shameless advertising, to those who haven't read it yet, I suggest you read my other new story **_**The Green Eyed Marine**_**: starring Percy and Annabeth. Captain Annabeth Chase is the typical Marine officer, training the new recruit of Marine officers. She is strict, unyielding, immovable. Enter Percy Jackson, a man who has joined Marine ranks as a private after declining an officer rank. As he gets closer to her, he slowly unlocks Annabeth Chase's innermost secrets. Does he have a darker past and a personal vendetta?**

**I updated chapter 2 yesterday if you haven't read it yet.**

**Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter. Leave a review, fave, or follow… More incentive for updates. **


	19. Chapter 19

**Warning: Still contains swearing in the beginning.**

* * *

_**In the Hospital—**_

_Mr. Brunner took no notice of the outburst, continuing, "In any event of death or near death state, which this life sustainability is about, he has instructed that his son, and heir, will be in charge of the business and CEO Pro Tempore in his absence."_

_"What?"_

_"That means you are now CEO of Atlantic Industries, Mr. Jackson."_

Percy's heart stopped for a second, and when it resumed, he could feel the thump echoing slowly from within him. At that moment, he couldn't comprehend the words Mr. Brunner had just uttered.

"Mr. Jackson?" The man asked with concern.

"I—You…said…I'm the new CEO?" Percy finally gasped out. The shock was yet to wear off. In fact, it seemed no better than when it first hit him.

"Yes," Chiron's Brunner's face appeared to be confused, his eyebrows contorted slightly. "Is something wrong with that?"

"I'm in college."

"I am aware of that, Sir."

Percy looked at the doctor who was tending to his father, his eyes then slowly trailing down to his father's inanimate body in the bed. Walking slowly till he stood in front of his father, he kneeled down next to him, muttering quietly, "Is this what you wanted? You a**hole! You left me to this? You had planned this all along. You insensitive jerk. You didn't give a sh*t what I wanted. You leave me to your company. To hell with it."

At this point, Percy was nothing short of yelling, the tears beginning to form in his eyes. To an innocent bystander, the scene might have been one of a mourning son, but no. Percy hated that his father was in a vegetative stage, shouldering the responsibility on to his unwilling son.

"Mr. Jackson, I will ask you to calm down otherwise I will have to ask security to kindly escort you out," the doctor said. "It's not good for the patient's health."

"He can die for all I care," Percy snarled. "My father doesn't deserve to live." Without another word, Percy turned to leave, slamming the door behind him. He heard the sound of approaching footsteps: one to his left, one to his right. Ignoring them, he quickened his pace till he got into his car, revving up the engine to leave.

As he looked to back out, he noticed Rachel standing patiently by the driver seat window, her face in a pained expression. He didn't have the time to deal with Rachel. There was no need for connections with her. Not after all this. Percy backed the car out of the lot with the speed matching his anger. As he was about to turn right out of the hospital, a black BMW cut in front of him, stopping so that Percy couldn't leave.

Percy cursed as he honked at the car, indicating his impatience. The other man simply got out of his car. It was Mr. Brunner. Chiron Brunner walked till he was in front of Percy's window. Percy lowered the window irritably, "What do you need?"

"Mr. Jackson, if you would follow me in your car, there are things that need to be discussed."

"I'm not in the mood!" he snapped at the man. "I told you that I will not be the CEO. Let it rot in hell for all I care."

Chiron's serious tone softened a bit, a paternal look overcoming his eyes, "Percy, I know you're going through a hard time, but this company was your father's sweat and blood."

"I'm his sweat and blood too. What's more than a son? See the results. He estranged me for the sake of the very company you want me to head."

"Hear me out, Percy. I know that you're resentful of your father. He was a demanding man rest assured. I've had my own fair experience of it, but he's not a bad man. As cliché as it sounds, he was doing the best for your future well-being and assets."

"You're right. It sounds cliché, and I don't doubt that's what he had in mind. I know that he had my best interests in his heart, but that was his own perception of best interests, not mine. I've told him multiple times that I did not want to head the company."

"It's a multinational corporation. What do you want him to t do with it? Of course he expects his son to take over."

"Mergers. He wanted me to marry for the sake of his company."

"It's not all that uncommon among elites. Arranged marriages are still prevalent in many parts of the world."

"Not here, and not for business connections. Look Chiron, I don't want to talk about this. I refuse to deal with this anymore. It's not worth either of our time to argue uselessly. Run the damn company yourself, or find someone else to do it. Consolidate it with someone else. I don't need to hear another word about it."

Chiron looked like he had more to say, but he nodded his once in a semi-bow, getting back to his own car. After the older man had left, Percy slammed his head against the steering wheel in exasperation. His knuckles turned white as they clenched harder on the gear shift. Pulling himself out of the moment, he shook his head, clearing it of the argument, focused on driving instead.

He knew he had to call Annabeth like he had promised, but even her voice wouldn't be able to calm his mood. Wandering aimlessly, he ended up in front of Annabeth's apartment, simply to breathe in the fresh air.

As he did so, the memories came rushing back. Their first real kiss. How she had left him. Percy noticed the flickering light in her room as he thought back to when he had tutored her. The emotions overwhelmed him, only adding to the mix of thoughts swirling around in his mind. Knowing that the longer he stayed in front of the house, the longer the pain would augment, Percy restarted the car, deciding to go back home.

_**Next Day—**_

There was no way Percy was going to go to school the next day. By the time he had gotten up, it was already past 11 AM. Yawning in lack of sleep, Percy picked up his phone to find a half dozen texts from Rachel asking him if he was ok.

What did she think he was? Did she actually think he'd be saddened by his father's accident? If that was the case, Rachel didn't know well enough. Was it about the marriage? He'd have to call it off as soon as possible. The company was going to be sold regardless. Just as he contemplated reading the texts, the phone rang: Rachel. That was the last straw for Percy. Without a second thought, he threw the phone in the fish tank located on the side table, a splash of water coming out of the tank as the phone settled at the bottom.

Just as he flopped back down on his bed, his doorbell rang. "Who calls this goddamned early?" Reluctantly, he walked downstairs, still in his PJs, not bothering about his appearance. The door opened to reveal none other than Chiron Brunner.

"I thought we were done yesterday," Percy said sourly as the man entered the house without invitation.

"Clearly not. I'm not going to let the company be consolidated for this minor setback."

"I'm a minor setback?" Percy demanded, his voice rising in tone.

"Not at all, Mr. Jackson. But you see sir, it isn't just the company based in New York. As stated previously, it is a multinational corporation. We have expanded nationally and globally."

"Your point?"

"Mr. Jackson, are you aware of how many employees your father was in charge of?"

"No…"

"Globally speaking, 750000 employees. I'm not sure if you understand the scale of the operation, but it far exceeds that of which either you or I can fathom."

"Again, what is my part in this."

"If we sell the company, over 75% of these people will lose their jobs. The new company will not be willing to take them in. And if we file bankruptcy, they'll all lose their jobs. It's a losing situation for them Mr. Jackson, and you are the only one who can fix it."

"I'm responsible for 750000 people is what you're telling me?"

"Oh no. Much more than 750000 people. Many of these people are breadwinners for their family. In theory, you're supporting over 1.5 million people. In terms of size, your father was wealthy enough to run a small country."

Percy snorted derisively, "Small country? He couldn't even deal with his family."

"So…"

"I'm supposed to be in charge of them?"

"Simply speaking, yes."

"Simply speaking?"

"There are other things that need to be discussed."

"Such as?" Percy inquired.

The other man something so quietly that Percy had a hard time catching what he had said. When asked to repeat it, Mr. Brunner face looked like he was expecting an angry outburst from Percy at any moment. Which is in fact exactly what he got.

Percy had stood up till he was towering over him, "Are you insane? Get out! Don't ever step foot in here again."

Chiron looked at the younger Jackson with sad eyes, troubled to see one so young subject to the trouble he was going to. Not wanting to outstay his welcome and inflict any more problems on the young CEO, Chiron Brunner felt it best to leave wordlessly.

Percy sat himself down in his seat as his legs gave out from under him. He put his face in his hands as he shook his head in disbelief. Mr. Brunner couldn't have been serious. There was no way. There was no need. But it was the people that kept getting him. He was to sustain 1.5 million people who were dependent on their position in Atlantic Industries. That wasn't something who couldn't, and wouldn't, ignore.

Despite his misgivings about his father, Percy admitted Chiron was right. His father wasn't a bad man in some sense, just determined. He hadn't given jobs to people for all these years, and from what he knew, the conditions weren't like those of other big multinational corps.

Keeping his own interests at heart like his father had would have been selfish, and if he didn't do something about it, he would regret it later. Now to only tell Annabeth…

He sent her a brief text: _Meet me in Central Park at 4 sharp. We need to talk. _

_**At Central Park—**_

Annabeth arrived well before four, in eagerness to see Percy. He had left in such a hurry that she was taken aback. His tone had seemed to be serious so she had dared not prevent him, but this text sent her a little over the edge too. It was too curt… Emotionless in a sense.

Checking her watched, she noticed it was still only 3:45. Central Park was huge. How exactly was he supposed to locate her amidst the crowd? Annabeth found a bench to sit at as she texted Percy her location. She got no reply in response; Annabeth felt her face visibly drop as the time approached 4 and he was still not there. Wasn't he even the least bit excited to see her?

The time ticked slowly; from 3:55 to 4:00 till it was 4:20. Just as she was about to leave, she saw Percy walking towards her as though in no hurry. His face was expressionless as was his demeanor.

Annabeth stopped as he approached, till they were face to face.

"Annabeth," he acknowledged.

"Percy?"

"About yesterday. Forget it."

"What?"

"I said forget it."

"Why?"

"It was another momentary lapse of judgment on my part."

"Percy, you can't…"

"Annabeth, forget that this ever happened. We were right to go our separate ways."

"Percy Jackson, you listen to me! You can't just waltz in and out of my life when you feel like it. I will not be played with. You promised yesterday. You swore that you weren't lying. You promised!" Annabeth's eyes were beginning to tear up, her fist raised to pound against him.

Percy stopped her hand before she beat down on his chest, his voice suddenly lowering, almost as though it were urgent, "Would you come with me then?"

"What did you say?"

Holding her eyes in his own, he said softly, "I'm taking over my father's company. I have to move to Germany for a year."

* * *

**I'll admit that this chapter was a little rushed, but… Anyway, there is one more chapter left. But, if people are interested, I will write an epilogue after it. I doubt there will be a sequel. I want to finish the story by Tuesday, but no promises.**

**Make sure to review. To those who haven't seen it already, I now have 3 chapters for The Green Eyed Marine Percabeth story.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Make sure to read the announcements at the bottom.**

* * *

_**Still in Central Park—**_

_Holding her eyes in his own, he said softly, "I'm taking over my father's company. I have to move to Germany for a year."_

Annabeth's heart was pounding faster and faster with each passing second. Just mere seconds ago he had told her to forget him; now, he was asking her to come to Germany with him? "Your father's company?" she asked weakly, her legs starting to become jelly-like. He had never directly mentioned that he was the heir to one of the world's biggest multinational corps.

"Yes," he said, puzzled.

All she could say was summed up in one word, "Why?"

Percy's tone didn't change, but he took her hand, leading her to the bench once more, "I haven't ever told you the full story before, have I?"

Annabeth shook her head, signaling no.

"Where do I start?"

"From the beginning."

"Right."

"No edits."

"…Of course." Percy paused before continuing, "Let's see. The whole story began when my mother died when I was fifteen years old. My father neglected to take care of me, sending me off to boarding school. To put it bluntly, I was a bully. In my defense, it was self-defense. But I was secluded, with no father to look after me. I had no contact with my father, not even a simple email from him demanding about my well-being. We were in our own worlds: his as a corporate CEO, mine as the outcast at a boarding school. My temperament changed when I got into NYU, not as much of a tormentor as I was before. But, I was isolated even more than ever."

Annabeth cut in, "Percy, I don't want to sound rude, but how does this relate?"

Percy smiled sadly, his mouth crinkling at the edges, "You asked for the whole story, didn't you? Just wait. I'm getting there."

Annabeth motioned for him to go on, snuggling in closer to him as he rested his arm around her shoulder.

"Where was I?"

"Isolation?" Annabeth prompted.

"Right. Needless to say, it sucked. The only person I talked to was Sam."

"You never told me how you knew her and how she became my tutor."

"Annabeth, I wasn't trying to deliberately ignore you," Percy said softly. "I made a promise to your mother."

Annabeth stood up quickly, "My mom?"

"Yes, but don't worry about that now. It's the least of our worries. Regardless, I was never interested in any girls romantically. People began to suspect I was gay. Hell, I thought so myself. But, a few months ago, I met you. At first, you were just like the rest of them. Someone I looked down on since they weren't at my 'level'."

"Thanks," Annabeth said sourly.

"I said that was at the beginning. And you ruined my car… Anyway, once I started tutoring you, I started to open a bit, taking bolder moves than I once had. You made me feel more human in a sense, like I could relate to those around me. Everything was perfect… Until my father came back into the picture after seven long years of silence. At first I was skeptical as was expected, but I had learned to be open to my father and gave him the opportunity to fix things. For a while it did seem to mend. Then started the issue. He insisted on my dating Rachel for his business. I refused automatically. He threatened me, Annabeth. He threatened me using you as the blackmail. My father knew about you and swore to me that if I didn't date her, you would suffer," Percy debated whether or not he should tell Annabeth about her father's attempt at trying to attack her, but decided now was not the time.

"Percy, I…"

"It was my fault. I conceded to his terms, promising to date you. If he hurt you, the deal was off. He had bodyguards posted, watching our every move to make sure I wasn't lying. I couldn't even text you. I don't know how I could have dealt with him had it not been for Rachel. She made it bearable, not wanting to fake this whole deal anyway. Just when things couldn't get any worse, he said Rachel and I were engaged," Percy stopped when he noted Annabeth's expression, "What's wrong?"

"You were engaged?" she whispered quietly.

"Annabeth…"

"Percy, answer me. Are you still engaged?"

"Annabeth, listen."

"Percy, just answer the damn question."

"Yes. But Annabeth, it's nothing. Rachel knows it isn't real."

"Really? Maybe you should tell her that before she gets carried away."

Percy chuckled once, "You're cute when you get mad. Your nose turns all red."

"I'm dead serious."

"I'll tell her. Don't worry about it. This engagement took place two days ago. And then I saw you again yesterday. I made my resolve to tell my father there was no way I was going to follow through with his plans. That's when the phone call interrupted us. My father had a massive heart attack while driving," Percy sobered up a bit.

Annabeth's face turned into one of downright horror, "I'm so sorry! Is he going to be able to recover? "

"Don't worry about it. He deserved it. It doesn't matter if he does or not," Percy said coldly, almost emotionlessly, adding quietly so that she couldn't hear, "He, of all people, doesn't deserve your pity after what he did to you."

Speaking up louder again so that she could hear, "He's currently in a vegetative state. More or less, he's dead. I can't get him off life support because the government insists on a previously written statement that says he wouldn't want to be kept alive. But the a**hole probably thought it would be funny if he could stay around watching me write under his control even when paralyzed."

"Percy, I know you and your father don't get along. But no one deserves this awful fate, not even him."

"You didn't know him, Annabeth," Percy muttered darkly. "I was offered the position of CEO Pro Tempore of Atlantic Industries. I refused of course as it involved dropping out of school… and seeing you."

"Percy, this is a great opportunity!"

"Annabeth, I never wanted this! Why do you think I resented my father? He never once considered my opinion."

"What are you going to do about it?" she demanded simply.

"And then they threw in the emotional aspect. I'm responsible for the lives of 750000 employees who might lose their job if I don't take over the company. It doesn't stop there. Many of them are in charge of supporting their family. That's 1.5 million people that I have to take care of."

Annabeth let out a low whistle, "1.5 million people in your hands? So why move to Germany?"

"That was another stipulation. Our company is global, but the German branch of all of them is being the most adversely affected with protests. Messing with the German state is more or less bankruptcy. Right now, everyone believes the company will fail. The laws in Germany have unemployment benefits that far exceed the U.S. To put it simply, the German Union scares me. One mistake there and I could blow up the whole thing."

"No pressure."

"Yeah…"

The two just sat there in silence for a minute when Percy spoke up again, "So, would you come with me?"

"What?!"

"To Germany?"

"Percy, are you insane?"

"I've been told that on occasion, but I'm asking in all seriousness."

"My mom… College. I just committed to NYU. I can't just leave. Tell me you were joking."

"That would be a cruel joke," Percy said solemnly.

"Percy…"

"I get it. You have your own priorities. You were right. It was dumb of me to ask. Me and my stupid loyalty."

"But, we can hang out before you leave, right? We can meet every day."

"My plane's in two hours," he said flatly.

Annabeth was speechless. Percy took something out of his pocket, tossing it to her, "In case you change your mind, I'll always be waiting," Without another word, he left in the direction he came. Annabeth stared down at what was in her hand. Printed was her name. It was a plane ticket to Germany.

_**Time Skip to One Year Later, Annabeth—**_

Annabeth had successfully completed one year at NYU, almost twenty years old now. It had been exactly a year since Percy had left for Germany, leaving her alone at Central Park that fateful night. There wasn't a day that hadn't passed without her thinking about him.

It wasn't that Annabeth was entirely alone. She and Thalia had made up after a long discussion, Thalia declaring it was about time she got over Percy.

Nico still hung around Thalia hoping that he could impress her in some way or the other. Although Thalia didn't show it, Annabeth knew that she secretly liked the attention she was getting from Nico. But, it didn't stop her from playing hard to get. Plus, Nico chickened out at every mention of Thalia's father. That didn't stop the three of them from hanging out every Friday at the mall. Annabeth was the only one that felt normal out of the three, but the only non-emo/goth.

In regards to Silena and Juniper, the two had gone their separate ways, going off to college in different states. There were of course the monthly Skype reunions, but the girls had been growing more distant, finding newer friends.

And then comes Percy. Needless to say, their contact had been limited. The first month or so, Annabeth had texted him, only prompting simple one word replies. She couldn't tell if he was genuinely busy or if he was still upset. After a month, those texts stopped.

There had been breaking news a month later officially announcing the broken engagement of Rachel Elizabeth Dare and Percy Jackson, ending the deal between the two companies. To the business world, many saw this as a blow to Percy, but the company didn't take a single dip in stocks as was anticipated. In fact, sales seemed to skyrocket then more than ever.

Annabeth at present was walking down Times Square. Today was just like any other Friday evening. Thalia and Nico had promised to meet up with her at a local ice cream creamery stuck in the middle of all these designer shops. She still had an hour of time to kill, so Annabeth decided to do some window shopping. Just as she was about to enter one of the shops, she noticed the digital billboard in the center of the square change. The pixels had rearranged, now showing a picture of none other than the CEO of Atlantic Industries, Percy Jackson. It was a Rolex watch ad. How it related to his line of his business, she had no idea, but there he was.

Percy looked exactly the same; his face magnified a hundred times more on the screen. His eyes still held the same glittering green they had when she had first seen them. His floppy black hair had been slicked back for the commercial as he wore a black silk looking suit, probably another designer brand. But there was something missing. It seemed superficial, even his smile. Annabeth heard the excited squeals of girls behind her pointing up the ad. Annabeth had a feeling they weren't just pointing at the Rolex.

Feeling rather annoyed, Annabeth entered the shop, not wanting to deal with him. To her dismay, it was the Rolex store. Posters of Percy's face filled up every nook and corner of the building. In the same speed she entered, Annabeth exited the building, slightly out of breath.

It wasn't that Annabeth hadn't seen Percy before. She had seen occasional commercials featuring him on TV, but it had never been so bad, especially considering it was now exactly a year since he left. Giving up completely, Annabeth just stood in front of one of the many shops. There was a TV present in one of the shops, displaying an event going on the airport. There was an entourage of media crew and bodyguards surrounding the person on screen that Annabeth couldn't make out who it was.

The cameramen attempted to get a better audio and visual as they fought with one another to get closer. The man in the center of attention determinedly kept his head down, a pair of sunglasses covering his eyes as he pushed his way out of the crowd.

Just for a second, the media crew gave way for the man to enter his black Mercedes, the windows tinted black. But in that one second, Annabeth saw it all. It was Percy Jackson himself. He hadn't been lying when he had said one year. Percy Jackson was back for good.

Annabeth's legs turned to jelly as she held onto one of the lampposts for support. Why did he have to come back now of all times? Annabeth rang up Thalia immediately, "Hey Thals?"

"Yeah?"

"You mind if I ditch tonight?"

"What, why?"

"Something came up. You and Nico enjoy."

"But Annabeth," Thalia began to protest, "You can't leave me with him."

"Just please Thalia. I'm not in the mood."

"Fine…"

"Love you Thals."

"Shut up and don't talk to me again, jerk."

Annabeth smiled a little at Thalia's reluctance to be alone with Nico. Without another thought, she walked. She didn't realize where her legs were carrying her till she was already there: Central Park. She had stopped in front of the exact same bench where she had last seen him. Almost involuntarily, she felt herself collapse onto it, clutching her knees closer together. She wasn't crying, but it left in her a saddening mood. Simply depressing.

Annabeth noticed the sky darken around her as the night fell quickly. The stars were out, twinkling bright tonight, brighter than most nights. The moon too was at its brightest, a full moon.

"I thought I might find you here," a quiet voice said coming from behind her.

Annabeth jumped up, startled, "Who's there?"

"One year and you've forgotten my voice already?" The figure stepped out so that the light from the moon reflected off of him: Percy.

"Percy?" she whispered in silent disbelief.

Percy snorted, "No. It's Logan Lerman. Yes, Percy."

"No, that's not possible."

"Why not? Have you not seen the news lately? I was rather disappointed that you weren't a part of my welcoming party at the airport today."

Annabeth still shook her head in disbelief, pinching herself to make sure she wasn't imagining things. Well, considering the pinch had hurt, it must be real.

He looked at her with some concern, "Do you still not believe that I'm here? Hello." Percy tried waving his hand in front of her face. He was a gone for a year and this was her response, to stay frozen like she had seen Medusa or something.

In the year that had passed, not seeing Annabeth was even worse than before, 1000s of miles separating them, adding to the physical pain. She had grown up even more beautifully than when she had been in college. Percy knew that he couldn't just waltz back into her life after he had left her, like his own father had done. She could have moved on. After all, she had never promised him anything; that single thought made him falter a little, making him reconsider his plan.

"Annabeth?" he asked anxiously. That single word had an effect. The sound of her name rolling off his tongue was enough to awaken Annabeth from her shock. She approached him in a near zombie like trance. Percy backed away slowly; slightly worried that she might slap him. But what she did instead surprised him even more. She kissed him full on the lips. Percy wrapped his arms around her waist for the first time in over a year, feeling the familiar click as he kissed her back.

She pulled back first, a little breathless.

"What was that for?" he chuckled.

"To make sure you were real."

"Is that so? Then, I should do this more often."

Annabeth then slapped him hard on the cheek. Percy winced this time, "And this?"

"To make sure you were real."

"You already did that."

"You deserved it."

Percy scratched the back of his head sheepishly, "Yeah, I guess I kind of do."

Annabeth hugged him tightly, as she whispered, "You better not leave me again." Percy smiled once, a little overwhelmed with Annabeth's bipolar emotions, "Never again, Annabeth."

He pulled away once, Annabeth's eyes widening a little in surprise, "Percy?" But, he held on to her left hand.

Percy got down on one knee as he said the well-rehearsed line that countless generations of men before him had said. He pulled out the red satin ring box which held the priceless diamond ring, "Annabeth Chase. I promise to love you forever and to never leave your side. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife? I know this is kind of sudden and all, but it wasn't something I hadn't—" Percy's rambling was interrupted as Annabeth pulled him into another kiss.

_Yes._

* * *

**Finally. Anyway, announcements time. So, I started a Percy Jackson and Harry Potter Fanfic yesterday. Check it out if you have time. It's basically a character role switch.**

**I promise I'll update The Green Eyed Marine soon. I'm hoping for tomorrow. **

**Anyway, I'm going to St. Louis on Wednesday. To those of you not familiar with the States, St. Louis shows up in the first book, **_**The Lightning Thief**_**, when Percy plunges to his 'death' from the arch. I was there last year too. The arch is so beautiful. **

**Anyway, I want to finish this story by then. Of course, the story could end now. I didn't get much response in the last chapter, so:**

**Epilogue or no epilogue?**

**Let's hit 400 reviews, shall we? Maybe? Yes? No? You better... This chapter cleared 3000 words.**


	21. Epilogue

**68 reviews since the last update? Really people, you guys are great. **

**I wish that anyone one of you could have been my English teacher, or my French or Spanish teacher for the matter. Every test I take, I score the lowest in writing out of all the subjects, but here you all are saying quite the opposite.**

**Anyway, I updated this chapter out of fear of my life. I got some odd threats from people. Someone wanted to throw a plastic blue brush at my face like Rachel did, someone said they'd kill me, and finally (and my personal favorite), someone said they'd steal my nose. That review made my day. Although I aspire to be Voldemort and my first Fanfiction account username is Lord Voldemort XIV, I really do like my nose.**

**Enough rambling. Let's go on to the epilogue.**

* * *

_Final Chapter: 3 Years Later_

It had all started with one word. The word yes. Annabeth didn't remember how long they had stood there that day in silent embrace. Percy hadn't said another word after that day, just content to be able to hold her in his hands after a year.

Annabeth too, although slightly resentful at his sudden disappearance and reappearance, had accepted him back with open arms, knowing that she had missed him more than she would ever out-rightly express to him.

At present, Annabeth was in the process of flipping through the album that had been locked away in her wedding chest. As she looked through the various pictures, she was reminded of the incidents that had led up to today since the engagement.

Breaking the news to the parents was another big issue. Of course there were no longer issues on Percy's side with his father in his coma, but Annabeth's mom, Athena Chase, was a whole another issue to deal with.

Athena Chase had raised her eyes skeptically as the two returned home late that night. Annabeth attempted to hide her ring, uncomfortable fiddling with it and her arms behind her.

"_Annabeth, what are you doing with him?"_

"_Mother, I…"_

"_And you, I thought you had left. Germany or something?"_

"_I just got back today, Mrs. Chase."_

"_Didn't I warn you to leave my daughter alone?"_

"_You did, Mrs. Chase."_

"_Clearly you failed to understand a big part of the message. When I said leave her alone, I meant leave her alone."_

"_Mom, stop!"_

"_Annabeth, this man kissed you in public without your consent."_

"_I've done a lot more than that," Percy muttered in low tones so that Athena Chase couldn't hear._

_Annabeth nudged him once sharply before continuing, "Mom. That was over a year ago."_

"_It's been a year since he left you, yet you still let him come near you?"_

"_Don't talk like you know what's going on," Annabeth replied calmly. Although her outward appearance was one of a composed demeanor, she was feeling rather irritated with her mother's behavior. They hadn't even gotten to the announcement of the engagement and here she was already souring the mood._

_Athena Chase raised her hands as if to slap her daughter but stopped, remembering that Percy was still there, "Mr. Jackson, I will have to ask you to leave."_

_Percy had decided this was the best time to announce it, "Mrs. Chase, Annabeth and I are getting married. Even if you don't consent, it will take place. Nevertheless, I'm sure Annabeth would be more willing and happier if her mother gave us her blessings."_

_Athena Chase's face had turned whiter than it had been when she first witnessed their kiss. As far as she knew, that was the only time they had expressed some romantic interest. And now here he was over a year and a half later demanding her daughter's hand in marriage. She had no qualms that Annabeth would be well taken care of by the boy and his money, but would she be happy? _

"_I can't accept."_

"_Mrs. Chase."_

"_Annabeth, you are too young to marry. Have some sense. Didn't I raise you better?"_

"_Mom, I'm nineteen! The same age you were when you married dad."_

"_Annabeth, you have your education to focus on."_

_Percy interrupted, "We wouldn't be married right away. I'll wait till she's done with college."_

_Athena Chase was rather surprised by his consideration, "I'm not saying that I'm accepting it, but we will see how it goes these next three years. Mr. Jackson, I expect you to be on your best behavior." She gave him a pointed look which the oblivious Percy completely missed._

_Annabeth blushed on his behalf, "Mom, don't worry about it."_

"_You better take good care of my daughter."_

Percy had been scared witless after the incident. Annabeth's mother was already a female Hitler. Mother in law rearranged did spell woman Hitler after all. He had a feeling his in law issues weren't going to be the best.

They had consented to be married the summer after Annabeth graduated. At least, that was their original plan, but Percy seemed to have changed them without informing Annabeth:

"_Annabeth," he said flipping her hair with his fingers while lying on the couch. Annabeth was in the process of doing her Stats assignment on the floor below, her back resting against the sofa._

"_What do you want Percy?"_

"_Let's get married," he said, a childlike grin on his face. The more he was around Annabeth, the more childish he became. He claimed it to be compensation for Annabeth's more serious, focused manner._

"_We are."_

"_No, I mean now."_

"_Shut up and do something productive."_

_Percy got up and settled down on the carpet next to her, edging closer and closer to her in attempt to make her feel uncomfortable, "Something productive, you said?"_

_Annabeth shot him a disgusted look, "Get your mind out of the gutter."_

_He looked her straight in the eye, "I'm dead serious. Let's get married. I don't want to wait another year."_

"_Perce, we promised my mom we'd wait till after I was done with college."_

"_Screw your mom."_

"_Percy!" Annabeth whacked him hard with her rather voluminous Stats book as Percy winced in pain._

"_What difference does it make?" he demanded. "Getting married now or later?"_

"_Exactly. What difference does it make? It doesn't matter, so wait a year."_

"_I don't want to!" he pouted, his face drawn down in a scowl. _

_Looking at the expression on his face distracted Annabeth sufficiently enough to push her Stats book away. She turned to face his pleading face, "Don't you seriously have any work to do. Just because you graduated, it doesn't mean you can just lounge around."_

"_It's my house. I can do whatever I want. Besides, I'm the CEO of Atlantic Industries. I have people working under me to fix anything. Look, it's not an impulse thing. There have been rumors going since the whole Rachel issue. People knew it was set-up. They either assumed I was gay or had my own girlfriend. No one know about you, but the world should know that Percy Jackson is Annabeth Chase's. So what do you say? Please." _

_Percy had fought with the case to get his father off life support successfully. The ruling had overturned the previous one in Cruzan v. Missouri. Percy had sufficient information to get the hospital to comply. His father had lasted another week before his last breath. The funeral was a rather solemn affair, attended only by Percy, Annabeth, Mr. Brunner, and a few of the senior employers._

_Annabeth had to admit she couldn't resist looking into his eyes as cheesy as it sounded. They literally made her melt in them, forgetting the topic of conversation, "What?"_

"_You know. Whatever you say, the wedding is next month. Now leave me alone, I have preparations to attend to," Percy immediately pulled out his iPhone and began dialing a number before Annabeth can stop him._

"_What?! You can't just…" Annabeth was cut off as Percy turned to her, his eyes looking directly into hers as he placed a finger on her lip to quiet her. Annabeth's willpower broke down as she huffed and went back to her studying._

The wedding was a quick ceremony, including only Annabeth's family and closest friends. From Percy's side, Nico and Chiron Brunner had attended. Nico had been the groom's best man as was expected. Thalia was the bridesmaid. Although they hadn't admitted it yet, it was apparent that the two had obviously been dating for some time.

Percy had chuckled, saying that Nico had finally manned up to Thalia's father. Athena Chase had attended the wedding with a grim look of disapproval on her face. She didn't say anything during the ceremony, but her expression was enough to show her displeasure.

Annabeth closed the book with a slam as she got up with considerable effort. That had been a year ago. It had been only five months since she had graduated from NYU from a degree in architecture, and she was already indisposed to start work.

Why was she indisposed? That was partially Percy's fault to blame. Percy had suggested a celebratory part in account of her graduation that night, just the two of them alone. He had taken her out to an excellent dinner at the Extra Virgin restaurant in New York, one of the city's most renowned restaurants. Annabeth wasn't quite sure if the name of the restaurant was foreshadowing as to what Percy intended, but she found out after dinner that night.

As she felt herself starting to feel sleepy, Annabeth found a pair of arms slipping around her neck in a caressing manner as someone rested his head on her own. "How are you feeling today?" he whispered into her ear soothingly.

"A bit better now that you're here."

"I wish I could have stayed home today, but duty calls."

"What was it today?" Annabeth asked sleepily.

"Some fishing industry complaining about how expensive we were. The government insists we use ecofriendly machines, but costs rise and out clients get irritated."

"Oh."

"You look a little tired," he chuckled a little.

"You think so, Mr. Jackson?"

"I know so, Mrs. Jackson."

"I sincerely hate you for doing this to me."

"Hey, it takes two to tango."

"…Be quiet."

Percy put his arms on her shoulders to turn her around so that she could face him. Lifting her chin up a little, he moved it side to side in amusement.

"What was that for?"

"Little Miss Moody."

"You're asking for it, Percy Jackson!"

"And what can you do about it, Mrs. Annabeth Jackson?"

Annabeth made a lunge for Percy who sidestepped it easily. In the process, he grabbed her arm, and carried her bridal style, "Someone's getting heavy."

Annabeth took a shot at his face, but Percy merely grinned at his wife's weak attempts, "Now, Mrs. Jackson. I don't think that's the best thing to do."

"Put me down!" she protested hotly.

Percy complied, placing her on the sofa in front of him. Kneeling on the side, he brushed her blond curls out of her face. Annabeth shivered lightly at his touch. He still had the same mesmerizing effect on her that he had those four years ago when they had first met.

He drew in closer to her face till she could his breath blowing on her. As she closed her eyes, anticipating the kiss, Percy got up in a bout of laughter, "You fall for it every time. God Annabeth, you are so gullible."

"I hate you Percy!"

"I love it when you get mad. Your eyebrows get all scrunched up."

"Well, I don't love it. Jerk, taunting me."

"Aw, does Annabeth want a kiss?"

"No, not anymore."

"Too late," Percy was by her side once more. Rolling up her shirt gently, Percy stared in wonder at the round belly, feeling a rush of pride. Although it was only five months, the bump was quite prominent. Looking at it just made Annabeth look even more beautiful than she already did. He felt a sense of joy that the baby inside her was a part of him too. He helped make that life, Percy Jr. as they referred to the baby so far. Sighing in content, Percy leaned down, kissing Annabeth's rounded stomach, the familiar feeling of love overwhelming him, "God Annabeth, I love you so much."

* * *

**Cheesy? Check. Cliché? Check. Percabeth? Hopefully.**

**I want to thank all those who have been reading this story since the start 3 months ago. I'm really honored that you all stuck with me this far. And to those who will inevitably ask, no, I will not be writing a sequel.**

**BUT, I have two other stories that I will be writing. The updates for these won't be as regular, but I will try my best.**

**A Harry Potter and Percy Jackson Crossover: ****Pre-TLO and Pre-DH Poseidon refuses to give up his son in the fight against Kronos. He plans to hide him in a place away from the gods. Dumbledore, a witness to Poseidon's will, offers a plan to resolve the issue. Little does Poseidon know Dumbledore actually meant when he said he would solve it: Harry becomes Percy and Percy becomes Harry.**

**A Percy Jackson Percabeth Story:****Captain Annabeth Chase is the typical Marine officer, training the new recruit of Marine officers. She is strict, unyielding, immovable. Enter Percy Jackson, a man who has joined Marine ranks as a private after declining an officer rank. As he gets closer to her, he slowly unlocks Annabeth Chase's innermost secrets. Does he have a darker past and a personal vendetta?**

**I realize I've advertised these countless times, but if you enjoy these genres like I do, I suggest you give them a read, fave, follow, or review.**

**Make sure to review this final chapter too. And till next time. :-) **


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